NFL Pursues Arbitration Despite Judge's Directive in Brian Flores Case

The NFL is persisting with its arbitration efforts in the Brian Flores case, despite a federal judge's clear directive to shift focus to defending the claims. Judge Valerie Caproni had indicated that it was time for the league to stop seeking arbitration and start addressing the merits of the case.

While certain claims have progressed to the discovery phase, the NFL has appealed Caproni's recent ruling regarding Flores's claims against the Dolphins, as well as claims from Steve Wilks against the Cardinals and Ray Horton against the Titans. Each of these plaintiffs had contracts with arbitration clauses that directed disputes to the NFL Commissioner or a designee.

However, courts have noted a significant issue with the NFL's attempts to assign the judge or jury role to itself. As a result, many claims in the Flores case remain unresolved, potentially delaying the trial preparation for this four-year-old case.