Lolley: Hiring of Flores could have additional advantages for Steelers

The Steelers showed they don't just talk the talk when it comes to minority hirings and standing up for doing what's right Saturday when Brian Flores was hired as senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach on Mike Tomlin's staff.

By making the move, Art Rooney II showed that he's willing to walk the walk when it comes to making inroads in minority hirings, as well.

Rooney, who chairs the league's Diversity Committee, has been disappointed by the lack of overall minority hirings in the NFL. In fact, after Flores filed a lawsuit against the league and three of its teams -- the Dolphins, Broncos and Giants -- for what he considers failed minority hiring practices, Rooney was one of just a handful of owners to comment on the issue.

"Over the past several years, our Diversity Committee has recommended, and Ownership has adopted, a number of enhancements to the Rooney Rule as well as new policies and fair consideration for coaching and front office positions," Rooney said. "The details of these enhancements and new policies have previously been made available.

"While I acknowledge that we have not seen progress in the ranks of Head Coaches, we have seen marked improvement in the hiring of women and minorities in other key leadership roles such as Coordinator positions, General Manager positions, and front office positions both in and out of football operations. I believe this progress has been made as a result of the implementation of many of the enhanced policies that were recently adopted.

"The Commissioner and League Executives, as well as the Diversity Committee, remain committed to working with all clubs, the Fritz Pollard Alliance, and others in making these efforts as effective as possible and building upon them to promote the desired impacts on hiring decisions in the League at all levels, including Head Coach positions."

Again, Rooney, who employs the longest-tenured minority head coach in the NFL, didn't just pay lip service to making a difference. He did something that 31 other owners around the league probably wouldn't have done — he hired the guy who is suing the league over its minority hiring practices.

It's a gutsy move.

But Flores is a good football coach. He's risen through the ranks after graduating from Boston College to work as a scout, finally becoming a head coach with the Dolphins in 2019.

And he was fired after back-to-back winning seasons with Miami, something that hadn't been done in two decades for a once-proud organization.

It figures to help the Steelers from a coaching standpoint in 2022. But it also might have some other benefits, as well.

Tomlin is already well regarded across the league by players. When players are polled each season about what coach they would want to play for, Tomlin either leads the list or is right at the top.

The problem has always been the Steelers don't often have much, if any, money to spend in free agency. They've typically been right up against the salary cap.

This year, however, they are not. According to Spotrac.com, they currently have nearly $30 million in available cap space. And they can easily create more if necessary.

The addition of Flores didn't just resonate with Steelers fans. It did so with players and former players, as well.

You get the idea.

In a league that is comprised of Black players, an organization that already has the winningest Black coach in NFL history, that thumbs its nose at the rest of the league's owners and does the right thing, is going to be noticed.

As Butler stated in his tweet, few expected Flores to get a job while suing the league and three of its teams for its hiring practices.

And its going to make the Steelers an even more attractive landing spot for potential free agents.

That's obviously not why the Steelers made this move. They saw an opportunity to add a quality coach who can help them win games. But the unintended consequence of that can't be overlooked.