Brian Flores, Steve Wilks, & Ray Horton’s Discrimination Lawsuit Proceeds To Open Court

According to Adam Schefter, the court ruled on Friday that Vikings DC Brian Flores, former Jets DC Steve Wilks, and former Browns DC Ray Horton’s ongoing discrimination case against the NFL can now proceed in open court.

“The court’s decision recognizes that an arbitration forum in which the defendant’s own chief executive gets to decide the case would strip employees of their rights under the law,” said attorneys Douglas H. Wigdor and David E. Gottlieb. “It is long overdue for the NFL to recognize this and finally provide a fair, neutral and transparent forum for these issues to be addressed.”

Wilks and Horton joined Flores’ discrimination lawsuit against the NFL in 2022. Wilks was fired by the Cardinals after just one season and replaced with Kliff Kingsbury as their head coach, who had little to no NFL coaching experience at the time. His experiences in Arizona figure prominently in his claims. 

Horton’s claim is that he felt his head coaching interview with the Titans in 2016 was done solely to fulfill the Rooney Rule. 

Flores filed a class action suit against the league and teams, including the Dolphins, Giants, Broncos, and Texans, claiming that he was offered money to tank in Miami and was discriminated against as a head coaching candidate. 

It was the boiling over mark for frustrations among Black coaches in the NFL who have felt for a long time that they don’t get a fair shake when it comes to head coaching jobs, and the lack of Black head coaches supports their point. 

Flores, 44, began his NFL coaching career with the Patriots back in 2004 as a scouting assistant. He held several positions, including pro scout, special teams assistant, assistant offense/special teams, defensive assistant, safeties coach and linebackers coach before serving as the de facto defensive coordinator in 2018. 

Miami hired Flores away to be their head coach in 2019 before firing him abruptly after the 2021 season. He caught on with the Steelers as a defensive assistant and LB coach, then was hired by the Vikings as defensive coordinator in 2023. 

In three years in Miami, Flores posted a record of 24-25 (.490 win percentage) with no playoff appearances.

In 2025 under Flores, the Vikings defense is No. 9 in scoring and No. 5 in total defense, plus No. 22 against the run and No. 3 against the pass.  

Wilks, 56, began his NFL coaching career with the Bears as their defensive backs coach back in 2006. He spent two years with the Chargers before following Ron Rivera to Carolina as their defensive backs coach.

The Panthers promoted him to assistant head coach in 2015 and then to defensive coordinator after Sean McDermott took the Bills’ job. Wilks agreed to become the Cardinals’ head coach in 2018 but he was fired after one season.

Wilks took over as the Browns’ defensive coordinator in 2019. He was not retained in 2020 under a new staff, though he interviewed for the DC position. Wilks had a stint with Missouri as their defensive coordinator before returning to the NFL with the Panthers as their secondary coach.

However, he was promoted to interim head coach following the firing of Matt Rhule in 2022. The 49ers would later hire him as their defensive coordinator for the 2023 season before firing him after last season. He was hired by the Jets as their defensive coordinator under new HC Aaron Glenn ahead of the 2025 season, but was fired in December. 

In 2025, the Jets defense ranks No. 20 in total yards allowed, No. 30 in points allowed, No. 29 in rushing yards allowed and No. 13 in passing yards allowed.