Flores allowed to take NFL teams to court
NEW YORK — Coach Brian Flores can press discrimination claims against the NFL and three teams, including the Texans, after a federal judge on Wednesday rejected the option of arbitration, presumably before commissioner Roger Goodell, and offered some stinging observations about the status of racial bias in the sport.
The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan clearing the way for Flores to bring his claims to trial also required two other coaches who joined the lawsuit to submit to arbitration. The league had tried to move the Flores claims to arbitration, citing contracts that coaches had signed.
Flores sued the league and three teams a year ago, saying the league was “rife with racism,” particularly in its hiring and promotion of Black coaches.
Caproni wrote that the descriptions by the coaches of their experiences of racial discrimination in a league with a “long history of systematic discrimination toward Black players, coaches, and managers — are incredibly troubling.”
The judge said Flores can let a jury decide the merits of his discrimination claims against the league, the Texans, the Denver Broncos and the New York Giants, but he must pursue his claims against the Miami Dolphins through arbitration.
Flores was interviewed by the Texans in 2022 before the team hired Lovie Smith.
Flores brought the lawsuit after he was fired by Miami. He has since served as an assistant coach for Pittsburgh and currently is defensive coordinator for Minnesota.
Shiffrin pursues Stenmark’s mark
American skier Mikaela Shiffrin dominated downhill training in Norway ahead of what could become another record-breaking weekend.
Shiffrin is aiming for her 86th career World Cup victory to match the all-time mark set by Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark in the 1970s and ’80s.
Shiffrin is expected to have three chances this weekend, starting with a super-G on Friday, followed by a downhill the next day and another super-G on Sunday.
Kings deal Quick to Blue Jackets
The Los Angeles Kings achieved their goal of adding a quality defenseman near the trade deadline. It came with a heavy cost.
The Kings acquired defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo ina trade with Columbus Blue Jackets. In return, Los Angeles sent twotime Stanley Cup winning goaltender Jonathan Quick, a conditional 2023 first-round draft pick and a third-rounder in 2024.
PGA to institute no-cut events
The PGA Tour is moving toward an elite schedule in 2024 with 16 designated events — half of them with no more than 80-man fields and no cuts — along with a chance for players on the outside to play their way in.
Still to be finalized are which events get the $20 million prize funds and how players can earn a spot in the field.
The part likely to cause the most divide among players is the no-cut policy for the designated events (except for the four majors and The Players Championship). One criticism of Saudifunded LIV Golf has been its 54-hole events do not have a cut.
Ian Poulter ,aPGA Tour veteran who has joined LIV Golf, immediately took to Twitter with a George Bernard Shaw quote: “Imitation is not just the sincerest form of flattery — it's the sincerest form of learning.”
Eight of the 16 designated events — the exceptions are the majors, The Players and three FedEx Cup playoffs — are guaranteed to have the best players the entire week.
Djokovic makes Dubai quarters
Top-ranked Novak Djokovic eased into the quarterfinals at the Dubai Championships by beating Tallon Griekspoor 6-2, 6-3.
Djokovic extended his winning streak to 19 matches in tidy fashion a day after being pushed to a third-set tiebreaker by 130th-ranked Tomas Machac in his first match since winning his 10th Australian Open title.
The five-time Dubai champion had taken a few weeks off after overcoming a hamstring problem in Australia.
Defending champion Andrey Rublev produced a 1-6, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (3) win over Alejandro