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New Day
Fired NFL Coach Sues League, Three Teams for Alleged Racial Bias; ABC Suspends Whoopi Goldberg Over Holocaust Remarks; Collective Shrug From the Don't Take Trump Literally Crowd. Aired 7-7:30a ET
Aired February 02, 2022 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN NEW DAY: It's actually really sad. I mean, it's not worth it. It's not worth it for anybody.
ENTEN: It's not worth it for anybody. Leave the groundhogs to the professionals. These are people who train their entire lives for this type of moment. We shouldn't leave this in the hands of politicians.
BERMAN: Harry Enten, thank you very much.
ENTEN: Thank you, sir.
BERMAN: New Day continues right now.
Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. It is Wednesday, February 2nd. I'm John Berman with Brianna Keilar.
A lawsuit claiming racial discrimination rocking the National Football League. Former Miami Dolphins Coach Brian Flores, who was fired by the team last month, fired after a winning season, by the way, filed a lawsuit. Flores, who is black, claimed he was forced to sit for a sham interview for a new job even though a white coach had already been chosen, he says. And he insists he was used in order to satisfy league rules on interviewing minority candidates.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN NEW DAY: And attorneys for Flores write in their complaint that, quote, in certain critical ways, the NFL is racially segregated and is managed much like a plantation. Its 32 owners, none of whom are black, profit substantially from the labor of NFL players, 70 percent of whom are black.
Leyla Santiago is live from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens with more on this developing story. Leyla, what can you tell us?
LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Brianna, when Brian Flores was here in Miami, he was known as a coach that showed a lot of promise. And in this lawsuit, he acknowledges that he could be putting his career on the line, something that he thinks is worth it because he says that the NFL has a problem with racial discrimination and it's time to take it to court.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANTIAGO (voice over): Former Miami Dolphins Head Coach Brian Flores is suing the NFL and three of its teams alleging racial discrimination. In a 58-page complaint, lawyers for Flores accuse the league of being racial live segregated and like a plantation. Filed on the first day of black history month, the suit begins by saying, 32 owners, none of whom are black, profit substantially from the labor of NFL players, 70 percent of whom are black. Flores claims he was discriminated against by the league and some of its owners and managers while applying for the job of head coach of the New York Giants, revealing a series of texts from Patriots' Head Coach Bill Belichick three days before he was scheduled to interview with the New York franchise.
The complaint states on January 24th, Belichick wrote, sounds like you have landed. Congrats. Flores responded saying did you hear something I didn't hear? Belichick texted back, Giants? Flores later text Belichick to ask if is texting the right coach, before Belichick fesses up that he has the wrong man. Sorry I expletive this up. I double checked and I misread the text. I think they're naming Daboll. I'm sorry about that. BB.
The lawsuit accuses the Giants of interviewing Flores for the job because of the Rooney rule, even though the decision to hire Brian Daboll had been made. Originally introduced in 2003, the rule now requires at least two external minority candidates for open head coaching positions.
In statement, the New York Giants stood by their hiring process saying, Brian Flores was in the conversation to be our head coach until the 11th hour. Ultimately, we hired the individual we felt was most qualified to be our head coach.
The lawsuit lays out another example of what it calls a sham interview, describing an encounter between Flores and the Denver Broncos' management team. The Broncos then general manager, John Elway, President and Chief Executive Officer Mr. Ellis and others showed up an hour late to the interview. They looked completely disheveled and it was obvious that they had been drinking heavily the night before.
The Broncos said, Flores' allegations against the team are blatantly false and that the interview on January 5th lasted three-and-a-half hours, involved five executives, and ran according to schedule. Our interview with Mr. Flores regarding our head coaching position began promptly at the scheduled time of 7:30 A.M. of January 5th, 2019 in a Providence, Rhode Island hotel. There were five Broncos executives present for the interview, which lasted approximately three-and-a-half hours, the fully allotted time, and concluded shortly before 11:00 A.M. Flores was relieved of his duties as head coach of the Miami Dolphins after three seasons in January, alleging the writing had been on the wall after he refused to tank for the first pick of the draft. The suit alleges during Flores' first season with the Dolphins in 2019, owner Stephen Ross told Mr. Flores that he would pay him $100,000 for every loss after he refused.
[07:05:01]
To go along with Ross, Flores claims he was portrayed by the Dolphins as difficult to work with. In a statement, the Miami Dolphins denied any allegations of racial discrimination and that the organization would be withholding further comment on the lawsuit at this time.
The wide-ranging suit also cites high-profile examples of cases of discrimination against black members of the league, such as that of Colin Kaepernick, who has not played since 2016 after kneeling in protest during the national anthem.
The NFL responded Flores' lawsuit, saying, the claims are without merit, and adding, the NFL and our clubs are deeply committed to ensuring equitable employment practices and continue to make progress in providing equitable opportunities throughout our organizations.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANTIAGO (on camera): So, what does Flores want here? Well, he is demanding that they sort of have some change, level the playing field. He wants more influence of black individuals in the hiring and firing process, more transparency and more diversity among owners. Brianna?
KEILAR: All right. We will be hearing more from him ahead in the program. Leyla Santiago live for us from Miami.
BERMAN: All right. Joining us is now, Cari Champion, she's a former ESPN anchor and host of the podcast, Naked with Cari Champion, and Super Bowl champ George Martin, he's a former defensive end for the New York Giants and a former president of the NFL Players Association.
Cari, I'm going to start with you because you are here with me. One of things you were saying to me as we were running that piece is Brian Flores is laying it out on the line here.
CARI CHAMPION, HOST, NAKED WITH CARI CHAMPION: Yes, essentially, by filing this lawsuit, being the face of it, and as we said, showing all of these receipts, being honest about everything he knows, he's saying, I could care less if I coach again. What's going on in a system that has been in place for years since its inception needs to be broken down, torn apart, let's remove the veil, talk about it in a way in which we don't talk about it.
For Bill Belichick, his former boss, if he will, to send him that text was so disheartening, and yet he had to still push through a dinner as if he didn't know he wasn't getting the job. And it happens to so many of these coaches. And I really, especially as a black person, respect this man for what he did because he is standing in the gap for so many people who have wanted over the years to stand up and say this isn't fair. This process must be done.
BERMAN: There's plenty of reason to believe he just put his career on the line for what he believes in here, George. And just to make clear, two things that Cari just said, number one, the Belichick exchange, what that shows is that Flores was told before he even interviewed that the job was already going to someone else, a white coach.
Also, just to be clear, the league is 70 percent black players. There is currently one black head coach. How do you see this?
GEORGE MARTIN, FORMER PRESIDENT, NFL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION: Well, it is a statistical anomaly, first of all, and there is no way to justify that kind of inequity. And that's something African-American players and coaches have had to deal with for years now.
And with this lawsuit, I mean, it's obviously that Brian is going to become the Rosa Parks of the NFL, and rightly so. It took an enormous amount of courage for him to file this lawsuit and stand up against one of the largest corporations in the world and talk about the fact that there is less opportunity for people of color than there are otherwise.
BERMAN: Again, Rooney coming off a season where he won eight of his last -- not Rooney, Flores coming off of a season where he won eight of his last nine games, two seasons a row with winning records for the Dolphins, which is good for them. They're not a good team over the last several years, so he did really well. It really is remarkable to see that, George.
And I want to ask you specifically about one other aspect about to this while I have you. So, Flores alleges that the owner of the Dolphins offered to pay him $100,000 per loss to tank games. This happened three seasons ago. How explosive is that?
MARTIN: I think it's extremely explosive. And if it's found correct, I think the league itself, visa-a-vis, Roger Goodell, should step in and have an investigation regarding this. Because here is a guy who has been asked to really tank not only the club and all the people that he represents but his own career just for selfish means.
And I've got to say how much I admire and respect what Brian is doing, and kudos to him. And I hope that -- because he represents a class of people who have been just, you know, discriminated against for such a long period of time. And I hope that is successful in the long run.
BERMAN: There could be legal implications to that, too, as the NFL gets involved with gambling or embraces some of these betting situations. The fact that an owner was going to pay the coach to lose has legal implications.
CHAMPION: It has a lot of legal implications. And what George is saying is correct in a sense that, yes, it would be nice to have an investigation. But all that is is pushing paperwork. The league isn't going to be able to rightfully investigate itself and then actually right the wrongs that have happened over the years.
What needs to happen, honestly, is to literally say what the Rooney rule is no longer exists.
[07:10:00]
It needs to be revamped. I love the idea of it. I love the thought of us trying to really do something right. But if you're going to actually play by the rules, there are far too many eligible, overqualified black head coaches that are now, quote/unquote, offensive coordinators or defensive coordinators. And they won't get this opportunity just because they're not in the right club.
So, we can talk about the NFL and what they should do but it's about the owners. You can't investigate the league. You need to have these owners really truly commit to a process that says there will be some equity, because there is none.
BERMAN: To be clear, the Rooney rule is in place. It forces teams with openings to interview a certain member of minority candidates. I think it's two for head coaches, one for coordinators. This was put in place because they knew they had a problem.
CHAMPION: Listen, the idea is wonderful. I applaud it. It is not being used correctly. It is there to say, okay, we did it. We're checking boxes. You can't do that in this day and age because I don't know if anyone has paid attention but everyone now has receipts, everyone is speaking up. There is a part, especially for these black head coaches, there's a part of them that can no longer participate in this sham because it's been happening for far too long.
BERMAN: Right. Again, this is a huge moment for the NFL with historic implications. We're going to have Brian Flores on with us in a little bit. Cari Champion, George Martin, thank you both very much.
Again, now former Miami Dolphins Coach Brian Flores will join New Day live. He is breaking his silence under discrimination lawsuit, the NFL hiring practices and what might be left for him in the future of the game that he loves. You're not going to want to miss this.
KEILAR: And new this morning, Whoopi Goldberg has been suspended from The View for two weeks following controversial comments that the Holocaust was, quote, not about race. Prior to being suspended, Whoopi Goldberg apologized on air for her remarks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHOOPI GOLDBERG, HOST, THE VIEW: I said something that I feel a responsibility for not leaving unexamined because my words upset so many people, which was never my intention. And I understand why now. And for that, I am deeply, deeply grateful because the information I got was really helpful and helped me understand some different things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: joining us now is the CEO and National Director of the Anti- Defamation League, Jonathan Greenblatt. Jonathan, good morning. Thank you so much for being with us today.
And I know you spoke with Whoopi Goldberg yesterday. Can you tell us a little bit about that and if you agree with the suspension?
JONATHAN GREENBLATT, CEO AND NATIONAL DIRECTOR, ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: Well, I did speak with Whoopi yesterday. And just to step back, she actually made these comments on Monday and then sort of messed them up as she tried to explain them, I would say, on Colbert. But on Monday night, she apologized on social media. And then yesterday, I went on The View with her, and she apologized again.
And, look, there's no question that Whoopi Goldberg is one of the most visible people in daytime television. Her platform reaches millions and millions of people. So, her comments, they caused confusion and hurt for a Jewish community that's been reeling from anti-Semitism, Brianna, right? We have seen an increase in anti-Semitic incidents, more than a doubling over the last five years. We have had, in just the past few weeks, a hostage situation in Texas perpetrated by somebody motivated by Islamist radicalism. We have had flyer droppings by white supremacists blaming the Jewish people for COVID in six states across the country. Jews are feeling under siege.
And yet, when Whoopi apologized, not once but twice, I accepted her apology, and I think she delivered it sincerely. I don't think her intent was malevolent. I think it was mistaken. And I think, you know, I don't believe in cancel culture, Brianna. I believe in counsel culture. So, while she made a mistake, we need to recognize that all of us can do that. And if you apologize, you know, I think there's an opportunity for repentance.
Now, I can't speak to ADL's internal processes. I don't know how ABC News makes their decisions.
KEILAR: ABC's internal processes, right?
GREENBLATT: Yes. I don't understand how that works but --
KEILAR: You mentioned what she said when she went on Colbert, and I want to play her explanation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOLDBERG: If the Klan is coming down the street and I'm standing with a Jewish friend and neither one -- well, I'm going to run. But if my friend decides not to run, they will get passed by most times because you can't tell who is Jewish. It's not something that people say, oh, that person is Jewish or this person is Jewish. And so that's what I was trying to explain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: All right. I mean, like you said, it's problematic how she explained it. There's probably also a lot of people who that made sense to or they agreed with, they also don't get it.
[07:15:01]
And so I wonder, when you say, council culture, then how -- what could -- instead of suspending her for two weeks, what could ABC do to address that kind of language and misunderstanding?
GREENBLATT: So, there are a bunch of things just to break down here real quickly. So, number one, yes, I mean, she has it totally wrong. Anti-Semitism is at the beating heart of white supremacy. The Klan and all these different groups hate black people, hate Jewish people. Whoopi and I, we are both going to run, Brianna, if they are coming for us.
But make no mistake, it is Jews, whether the anti-Semitism is subtle or has happened in Times Square in this city in May, Jews are getting beaten up in broad daylight for wearing a kippa, or in Brooklyn, where every single day, visible orthodox Jews are harassed. We have got to understand the fact that Jews are indeed targeted, they are marginalized and they are persecuted. It is simply a matter of fact.
And make no mistake, not all Jews are white. I know Jews who are black and brown and Asian. So, let's also just dispel this myth that Jews are white, black. These are social constructs here in America. The racialized anti-Semitism that slaughtered Jews in the '30s and '40s is as ugly and deadly as any other we have seen.
Now, what could happen over the next two weeks? Look, this is an opportunity for Whoopi and I think for The View to engage in some education and introspection. You could imagine Whoopi going to the Museum of Jewish Heritage, the Holocaust museum, working with an NGO. There are many great ones, ADL included, but lots. And maybe The View could think about how they deal with Jewish representation on their show. Maybe they should have a Jewish host on The View. That might be a good place to start.
KEILAR: Would that have been better than suspending her?
GREENBLATT: Well, I think, again, I don't know how ABC News works their process.
KEILAR: But just from your perspective, that aside.
GREENBLATT: Yes. I would love to see a Jewish host on The View who could bring this point of view every day. Because, Brianna, this is February 2nd, it's the second day of black history month. But that shouldn't be only 28 days in which we learn about black history. It should be every day. And we're just a week after Holocaust Remembrance Day. But we should be learning about the Holocaust and about Jewish experience every day. So, yes, The View could deal with this, not just over two weeks but over the next two years. And I think their audience and the public would be really grateful for that.
KEILAR: Jonathan Greenblatt, I really appreciate the conversation. Thank you.
So, it's been said don't take Trump literally even though he tried overturning the election. And yet the GOP's response, a shrug. John Avlon's Reality Check is next.
Plus, Donald Trump turning on one of his biggest supporters, calling Senator Lindsey Graham a RINO, a Republican in name only, after he said it was wrong to pardon Capitol rioters.
BERMAN: And Punxsutawney Phil not only a fraud but also just taking his time, right? Like when is this prediction coming already? We'll get a live update, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:20:00]
KEILAR: The Republican fever still hasn't broken despite damning new reporting that shows just how close Trump was to try to overturn the 2020 presidential election, a legitimate election that he lost.
John Avlon has more in today's Reality Check.
JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: That's right, Bri. Look, we all heard the excuses for Trump along the way. Take him seriously, not literally, they said. Don't listen to what he says, look at what he does. Now, these rationalizations were trotted out to explain away the endless lies and tantrums and autocratic impulses.
And when Trump refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power before the election, we were again assured by his allies that he didn't really mean it. Of course, Trump would gracefully concede, they said. By now, we should all know better.
But it is still stunning to see the same partisan stupor continue, the same cult-like fear of confronting the truth when it comes to clear evidence that Trump actively tried to overturn an election and destroy our democracy from within the White House.
But this will be seen as villainy in the eyes of history. Not even Nixon tried anything as ugly and unconstitutional, and the facts just get more damning. Like the presence of two draft executive orders revealed this week by CNN's Zach Cohen and Paula Reid, which would have ordered the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to seize voting machines on the back of baseless conspiracy theories. These bespoke documents could have been used to suspend election, inauguration day, keeping Trump in power while an investigation is conducted. We don't see that aimed, specified at that, which they could have been used to do just that.
And Trump wasn't some by stander getting bad advice. The New York Times reports that in December, Trump ordered his attorney, Rudy Giuliani, to call acting DHS Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli asking whether the department could seize voting machines in key swing states.
Now, Cuccinelli, to his credit, resisted the pitch, reportedly saying he didn't have that power. But even this wasn't an isolated incident. It turns out that Trump was also pressuring Attorney General Bill Barr to have the Justice Department seize those machines. He got turned down days before Barr left office.
This is on top of coordinate efforts to collect fraudulent slates of alternate electors, and Trump's own admission that he pressured Pence to, quote, overturn the election, as well as his latest promise to pardon the January 6th insurrectionists if he's elected president again.
So, to recap, Trump admitted his goal, showed his intent and offered his most violent supporters a get out of jail free card.
Now, take all this together, and any fair-minded American should be able to see that this man is dangerously unfit to be anywhere near the presidency ever again.
[07:25:01]
And yet, despite all that we have learned, the response from the GOP is a collective shrug. That's according to our Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju. I'm sorry. Have they learned nothing? I know it's Groundhog Day, but this is ridiculous. Senators, like North Dakota's Kevin Kramer defended Trump's call to pardon the rioters. Louisiana's John Kennedy smugly said, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, twice, while declining to give his own opinion on the matter. Other Republican senators just ducked the question or said they would dutifully support Trump if he were the party's nominee.
What would it take for them to take actually take a stand? This retreat is even a moment of normal clarity makes Ted Cruz's struggle session with Tucker Carlson look dignified.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): The way I phrased things yesterday was sloppy and it was frankly dumb.
TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS HOST: I don't buy that. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, I don't buy that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AVLON: But while spineless Republicans, kiss the ring and enable a wanna-be autocrat, they've decided to focus their fire instead on two conservative colleagues with the RNC lining up more than 50 votes to expel Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney from the House GOP conference for the sin of actually putting country over party and serving on the January 6th commission.
This is sick. It reflects the impulse to hunt down heretics because their own independence threatens the cowardly cohesion of a cult.
Now, sometimes in the middle of political chaos, it is helpful to think how all of this will look in 20 or 30 years, because this fever will some day break. Cults ultimately end. And those few honorable Republicans who stood in the way of Trump's attempted coup will deserve all of our respect and quite possibly our votes. But those who make excuses, especially now, will be seen as enablers. They will be seen not just as cowardly but complicit.
This isn't a tough call, because you cannot be a patriot and support someone who tried to overturn an election. It's just that simple. And that's your Reality Check.
KEILAR: It is just that simple. John Avlon, thank you.
BERMAN: So, overnight, the former defeated president, Donald Trump, making clear yet again that he would pardon convicted insurrectionists if he gets elected again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: These people are being treated horribly. I would absolutely, because some of them are being treated very unfairly. Yes, I would absolutely give them a pardon if things don't work out fairly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But the punishments are out of proportion to the crime.
TRUMP: Out of proportion, like 20 times out of proportion. These people are being persecuted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Joining me is an attorney for several January 6th rioters, Robert Jenkins. One of his clients, Anthony Antonio, realized he had been misled by Trump but says he now takes full responsibility for participating. Counselor, thank you so much for joining us.
Let's just talk about Anthony. As I said, he apologized, acknowledged he did wrong. Does that mean that if Donald Trump gets elected again and offers a pardon, your client would not accept the pardon?
ROBERT JENKINS, ATTORNEY FOR JANUARY 6 RIOTER ANTHONY ANTONIO: Well, first and foremost, good morning and thank you for having me on this morning. Certainly, I think Mr. Antonio has expressed his remorse, his regret for getting involved or even coming to the Capitol on January 6th of last year. Whether or not he would accept a pardon, that's a little bit too premature at this point in time. He has entered pleas of not guilty. We certainly look forward to his matter being resolved in a court of law and not in a court of public opinion.
BERMAN: So, you represent a number of clients. How aware are they that Donald Trump just dangled the idea of pardoning them?
JENKINS: I think, you know, they, like most Americans, have been paying very close attention to the media coverage of the events surrounding January 6th. So, I think that they are acutely aware of what former President Trump has suggested.
BERMAN: So, they know, they know that he's offering to pardon them?
JENKINS: They know.
BERMAN: How does that affect --
JENKINS: Well, they certainly know there's discussion. BERMAN: Okay. So, they know. They know the offer is out there. So, how does that then impact how -- how might that impact how they approach their cases?
JENKINS: Well, I think, you know, first, you have to understand that, you know, there's been nearly 800 different individuals who have been charged with various offenses arising out of January 6th. And they all don't stand in the exact same position and, therefore, I would imagine that they each would view such a suggestion in a slightly different manner.
BERMAN: Well, let me ask you, in the abstract, separate yourself from the specific cases of your clients, if you were offered a pardon, a potential for a pardon down the line, wouldn't that give you leverage?
[07:30:00]
JENKINS: Well, I don't know if it would necessarily give me leverage. But, certainly, I don't think that there's any criminal defense attorney in the country that would advise a client to --
