New Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters Thursday that he did not see any red flags with the Miami coaching vacancy stemming from the lawsuit filed by his predecessor, Brian Flores, that would have deterred him from taking the position.
"I can honestly say there was absolutely no red flags. And the reason why was because I was stepping into an organization with a boss that, I don't think people give it its proper due," McDaniel said during his introductory news conference. "[Dolphins owner] Stephen Ross, there's a lot of people in professional sports that are out to make money and, I can't lie, I feel like if I'd spend that much money, I'd wanna make a lot of money but, like I said, when I walked in that door, you look at every single detail within this building, you look at the people that are hired … there is no cost too high for winning for him. And when you're in multiple organizations, you realize that's not always the case.
"The city of Miami really is lucky to have an owner that -- right, wrong or indifferent -- all he cares about is winning, and as a coach, that's all you are literally looking for. That's all. So, red flags? No, there's no red flags for me."
Flores, who is Black, was fired by the Dolphins on Jan. 10 after three seasons. He filed a lawsuit on Feb. 1 against the NFL and three of its teams -- the Dolphins, Giants and Broncos -- alleging a pattern of racist hiring practices by the league and other forms of racial discrimination. Flores' lawsuit also alleges that while in his first year with the Dolphins, Ross offered to pay him for every loss to improve the team's draft position. Ross has denied those allegations.
Of the nine openings during the 2022 NFL hiring cycle, only two were filled by diverse candidates: McDaniel and the Texans' Lovie Smith. The two new hires join Ron Rivera, Robert Saleh and Mike Tomlin as the league's only minority coaches.
McDaniel, who is multi-racial, said Thursday he's found the public discussion over his racial identity to be strange.
"It's been very odd, to tell you the truth, this idea of identifying as something," McDaniel said. "I think people identify me as something, but I identify as a human being, and my dad's Black. So whatever you want to call it, I know there's a lot of people with a shared experience. It's weird that it comes up because I've just tried to be a good person, and I think my background opens my eyes a little bit. I don't have any real experience with racism because I think you identify me as something close to, I don't know. But I know my mom experienced it when she married my dad, and I know my dad experienced it, and that's in my family. I guess that makes me a human being that can identify with other people's problems."
In an opening statement introducing McDaniel, Ross said he was impressed with his new coach's ability to connect with others.
"One thing that really you'll find out that stands out about him is his passion for football, his passion how he approaches the game, and how he works with people, 'cause that's what it's all about," said Ross, who did not take questions Thursday. "It's really motivating, working with people with passion and intelligence on a consistent basis that really will produce a winner. And I don't think we could find anybody, and you'll learn to see, with any more passion for this game and winning and winning the right way."
