Does the NFL Have a Racial Bias? An Investigation into the Claims Presented in the Brian Flores Lawsuit

Abstract

In February of 2022, Brian Flores issued a class-action lawsuit against the NFL for racial discrimination in the hiring and firing practices of NFL head coaches. Using NFL data from 2003 to 2021, I look to analyze the claims made by Flores in this lawsuit and test for evidence of racial discrimination in NFL employment decisions. Previous literature on this topic has found evidence that coaches did experience racial discrimination in the period prior to the 2003 NFL season. However, since the Rooney Rule was implemented in 2003, studies have not found evidence that black coaches were hired or fired at a different rate than non-black coaches. Utilizing a probit and a cox hazard regression model, I examine how race and other factors are correlated with NFL head coaching employment. In line with previous literature, the results from this study indicate that since 2003, there has not been a statistically significant marginal effect of race on NFL head coaching decisions.