The Pittsburgh Steelers announced over the weekend that they have hired former Boston College linebacker, Patriots assistant and Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores as a special assistant on defense and linebackers coach.

The hiring got people’s attention because Flores is suing the NFL, the Denver Broncos, the New York Giants and the Houston Texans. Flores filed the lawsuit after a text exchange with Bill Belichick in which Belichick mistakenly took him for current Giants head coach Brian Daboll.

According to Flores lawyers, the text exchange proves that there was collusion between Belichick and the Giants against their client. The Giants knew they were hiring Daboll before they even interviewed Flores.

The suit claims that the league and its teams purposely discriminate against minorities in the hiring process. They use the Rooney Rule to fulfill their obligation to interview minority candidates.

Flores also claims that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him $100,000 dollars per game in 2019 to lose games on purpose. The NFL is investigating the accusation.

Lawsuit and accusations aside, Flores is a terrific coach. Whether it is as a position coach, coordinator or as a head coach, he has proven to be an effective communicator and teacher of the game. It was a smart move for the Steelers to hire him.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin released a statement on the hiring.

“I am excited about Brian Flores joining our coaching staff given his history of developing and teaching defensive players during his time in the NFL,” Tomlin said. “Brian’s resume speaks for itself, and I look forward to him adding his expertise to help our team.”

The Steelers hired new defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and Flores to fix a defense that struggled last season. Pittsburgh finished ranked 24th in the league in total defense (361.1 yards per game); 32nd in rush defense (146.1 yards per game); and 20th in scoring defense (23.4 points per game). The Steelers did finish 9th in pass defense giving up 215.1 yards per game through the air.

Regardless of what is going on off the field, hiring Flores was a great move by the Steelers. He will make a big impact on the field. As for what it means for his future, time will tell. For now, Flores is getting to do what he loves. Coach football.