Miami Heat veteran Udonis Haslem took to social media after the Pittsburgh Steelers recently hired former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores. Haslem teased the idea of joining “Steeler Nation.”
Flores was fired by the Dolphins on Jan. 10, one day after he completed his third season with the team. After Flores’ dismissal, he filed a racial discrimination lawsuit.
The Steelers hired Flores as a senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach. Given the lawsuit filed by Flores earlier this month, it’s notable that the coach who just hired him, Mike Tomlin, is African-American.
Haslem, who grew up in Miami and has spent his entire career with the Heat, bitterly attacked the Dolphins after they fired Flores.
Haslem is a passionate advocate when it comes to social justice, so his outrage over the firing of Flores didn’t come as a major surprise to some people.
Some sports fans in Miami might be irked by Haslem’s comment about potentially abandoning his Dolphins fandom. After all, Haslem is a Heat icon, and many Heat fans also root for the Dolphins.
The Dolphins hired Mike McDaniel to replace Flores as the team’s head coach. The organization is hoping that McDaniel will help the team reach the playoffs in the near future.
Should the Dolphins get off to a strong start in the 2022 campaign, perhaps Haslem will get excited about the team once again. Many people in Miami are hoping the team will have a fun season.
