Giants General Manager Joe Schoen. Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Giants GM Joe Schoen: Brian Flores was 'one of finalists' for head coach opening

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 2/2/22

In the class action lawsuit filed by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores on Tuesday, Flores accuses the New York Giants of interviewing him last month only to comply with the Rooney Rule, which requires teams looking for new head coaches to meet with minority candidates. Flores also says he has proof New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick knew ahead of that interview the Giants had already chosen ex-Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll to fill the opening.

Joe Schoen was serving as Bills assistant general manager when he accepted the role of Giants GM in January, so it made sense, at the time, Schoen would hire Daboll because of their working relationship. Schoen spoke with media members at the Senior Bowl on Wednesday and briefly addressed the controversy surrounding the club's alleged hiring practices.

"We had a thorough coaching search, and Brian Flores was one of the finalists," Schoen claimed, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic. "I’ll just leave it at that."

Back on Jan. 21, Ian O'Connor of the New York Post reported Giants co-owner John Mara personally reached out to Flores about the club's head-coach position:

John Mara reached out to Brian Flores a couple of nights ago, a source told The Post. Very good conversation. Mara assured Flores that he's a serious candidate and that Giants will be willing to eat money to clear up some cap space...This could be Flores-Daboll steel cage match.
— Ian O'Connor (@Ian_OConnor) January 21, 2022

A clarification on this tweet - the purpose of this call was for John Mara to tell Brian Flores that he is a serious candidate. The Giants were going to work the salary cap for Joe Judge, if he stayed, or for any coach they hire...Anyway, Flo is pretty fired up for the interview
— Ian O'Connor (@Ian_OConnor) January 21, 2022

Truth be told, this news upset pockets of Giants fans who grew nervous Mara and not Schoen would have the final say on the team's next coach.

In an official statement released Tuesday, the Giants denied the allegations mentioned in the lawsuit and said "Flores was in the conversation to be our head coach until the eleventh hour." Before Tuesday's developments, most who actively follow Big Blue would've believed that comment without much hesitation.

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