Brian Flores hasn’t spoken to Bill Belichick since texting controversy

In the class-action lawsuit filed earlier this month, former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores accused the New York Giants of racial discrimination in their hiring practices and alleged that a text message mistakenly sent by New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick to Flores proves the Giants decided to hire then-Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll last month before they interviewed Flores. 

The Giants have strongly denied this claim on multiple occasions, but Flores later went one step further and said Belichick helped "influence" the club's hiring of Daboll before his supposed "sham" meeting. As part of an interview on "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" that will air Tuesday night, Flores said he hasn't spoken with Belichick since what's become an infamous text exchange. 

"I mean there’s potential that we could — we could run into each other," Flores, now serving as a senior defensive assistant with the Pittsburgh Steelers, said of Belichick, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "I mean I’d be open to a conversation. But, no . . . we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it." 

Flores spent over a decade with the Patriots earlier in his career and added during his latest interview that he didn't "talk to anyone from New England" before he joined the Steelers. 

Also during the appearance, Flores said he and his legal team "definitely have corroborating evidence" to prove Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered Flores $100,000 per loss for the 2019 season, and that he declined to sign a non-disparagement agreement presented by Ross following his firing in January.