The New York Giants have hired a Black assistant general manager less than a week after fired Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores sued the team, two other franchises and the NFL for alleged racist hiring practices.
The Giants announced Monday that Brandon Brown will work with new general manager Joe Schoen, leading the player personnel department and helping other parts of the football operation.
“Brandon has a strong reputation around the league as a leader, evaluator and consensus builder,” Schoen said in a statement. “He is a tireless worker who has experience in pro personnel and college scouting. He has a progressive approach to the evaluation process.”
Brown interviewed for the Minnesota Vikings’ general manager position, which went to Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
Flores filed his lawsuit last week, just days after the Giants hired Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll as their new coach, replacing Joe Judge, who was fired after a 4-13 season.
In the suit, Flores alleged the Giants gave him an in-person interview as a formality after they had decided to hired Daboll. He alleged he learned of the hiring after receiving a inadvertent text message from Patriots coach Bill Belichick, congratulating Daboll on getting the job. Both men worked for Belichick with the Patriots.
Flores also alleged the Giants gave him the interview to meet the league’s Rooney Rule, which mandates teams interview at least two minority candidates from outside the franchise.
The Giants have denied the allegations.
Flores, who did not get a job after interviewing with Denver and was fired by Miami after consecutive winning seasons, maintains the NFL remains “rife with racism” even as it publicly condemns it.
The NFL has four minority head coaches with openings remaining in Houston and New Orleans. There are no Black team owners, just a handful of Black GMs and relatively few Black coordinators in a league where more than 70% of players are Black or another ethnic minority.
Over the weekend, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told teams to bolster policies meant to encourage hiring of minorities, particularly as head coaches.
The 33-year-old Brown replaces Kevin Abrams, who was given the title of senior vice president of football operations & strategy Saturday. He had served as the Giants’ assistant general manager for the previous 20 years under general managers Ernie Accorsi, Jerry Reese and Dave Gettleman.