A newly public coaching assessment has brought fresh scrutiny to Brian Flores’ Miami Dolphins tenure, including an unnamed executive’s description of him as the organization’s worst hire.
The Korn Ferry memo, prepared for a Las Vegas Raiders head-coaching search, was unsealed Tuesday, Front Office Sports reported. Flores’ attorneys argue that its language supports his allegations of racial discrimination and retaliation.
Among the comments attributed to a longtime senior team executive was this assessment:
“He may have changed since, but he was the worst hiring decision we’ve ever made.”
Flores’ supplemental complaint attributes that remark to the Dolphins.
The executive is not named in the quoted passage. The remark is an allegation in the litigation, not a finding that the Dolphins unlawfully damaged Flores’ coaching prospects.
What the Brian Flores memo alleges about his Dolphins tenure
The assessment also alleges that Flores threatened violence toward his general manager and made unreasonable demands in a meeting with ownership.
“Chip on his shoulder – can be a dictator with players, coaches, and can even be difficult with ownership. His personality is unpredictable – not sure who is going to show up. Failed in how he hires coordinators and staff because he doesn’t give second chances or see efforts to improve; Needs someone strong at the top to reign in some of his worst behavior. He once threatened violence to his GM and made irrational demands during an ownership meeting.”
Those accusations should not be confused with established accounts of what happened. Their presence in a recruiting assessment shows what was being said about Flores, while the accuracy and motivation behind those statements remain separate questions.
Public criticism of Flores’ leadership predates this document. In January 2025, Ryan Fitzpatrick criticized how Flores handled relationships in Miami.
That earlier commentary provides context for the debate around his tenure; it does not independently establish the memo’s allegations.
Flores also responded publicly to Tua Tagovailoa’s criticism in August 2024, saying the comments affected him and prompted him to consider how he could improve.
Why Flores’ attorneys say the document supports his case
Flores’ lawyers objected to the memo’s treatment of his upbringing in Brownsville, Brooklyn, and its suggestion that access to a wealthy family helped him learn to navigate professional relationships. They characterized that language as racial stereotyping.
The assessment also identified the ongoing lawsuit as a possible distraction. His attorneys argue that treating his decision to sue as a hiring concern is evidence of retaliation.
Korn Ferry contested disclosure, citing confidentiality and disputing Flores’ interpretation of the document. The judge overseeing discovery rejected its arguments for keeping the memo sealed.
The dispute over disclosure had been developing for months. The firm described it as material from a confidential Raiders search.
Flores’ lawyers wanted to use newly obtained evidence to add another allegation, while the Dolphins and Tennessee Titans objected to the timing of a supplemental complaint.
Flores filed the lawsuit in February 2022 after his dismissal in Miami. Former head coaches Steve Wilks and Ray Horton later joined the litigation with claims involving their own coaching opportunities.
Tuesday’s development allows the public to examine language previously kept confidential. It does not resolve whether the criticisms were accurate, discriminatory or retaliatory — the competing issues that make the document significant to Flores and the Dolphins.
