Nearly four years after the lawsuit was first filed, a key threshold question is moving toward a final answer.
The NFL has filed a petition for writ of certiorari with the United States Supreme Court as to the question of whether the civil action filed in February 2022 by former Dolphins coach (and current Vikings defensive coordinator) Brian Flores against the NFL, the Dolphins, the Giants, the Broncos, and the Texans will be resolved in court, or in arbitration.
The specific legal question presented to the Supreme Court is this: “Whether an arbitration agreement governing disputes in a professional sports league is categorically unenforceable under the Federal Arbitration Act because it designates the league commissioner as the default arbitrator and permits the commissioner to develop arbitral procedures.”
The NFL has wisely narrowed the question, given that the reasoning (if applied throughout corporate America) would empower other companies to attempt to rig the in-house arbitration process by putting employment disputes in the hands of the CEO. Still, the league’s position is clear — it wants the Commissioner to retain power over disputes involving the NFL and the various teams that have hired and that handsomely compensate the Commissioner.
The 25-page document is the first step in an effort to persuade the Supreme Court to take up the case. Of the many petitions it receives each year, few are accepted.
More time will pass as the Supreme Court considers whether to take the case. Even more time will pass if the Supreme Court grants the petition.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit invalidated the NFL’s arbitration provision, concluding that the procedure lacks independence. (And it does.) The Supreme Court, if it takes the case, will decide once and for all whether it’s legitimate for the NFL (and any sports league) to put its Commissioner in charge of claims made against the NFL.
It’s fundamentally unfair to delegate those powers to someone whose connection to one side of a legal fight is so obvious. Frankly, no Commissioner should want to be expected to set aside their clear self-interests in an effort to dispense justice in an objective way.
But this has been the league’s practice, for years. It desperately wants to run its own business. It desperately hopes to hold the gavel when it comes to deciding whether the legal claims against it are valid.
It’s a bad way to do business. It’s now for the Supreme Court to decide whether it’s a good way, or a bad way, to apply the laws of the United States.
The Dolphins, after seemingly planning to pair coach Mike McDaniel with a new General Manager, have decided to go with a fresh start.
That means McDaniel will be moving on, after four years with the Dolphins.
“Coaching this team and being a part of this great franchise has been the honor of a lifetime,” McDaniel said. “When I took this job, I had a vision of a team that was bonded together and played with passion and energy on the path to winning championships. I gave everything I had for that goal.
“I am disappointed, especially for the fans, that we did not have better results on the field, but I am grateful for every coach, player, and staff member who poured themselves into that vision alongside me. I’m grateful to Stephen Ross for the opportunity he gave me, a little known coach at the time when he hired me. Most of all I’m thankful to my wife Katie and daughter Ayla for their unending love and support. I love this game, the people and relationships that are a part of it, and I will forever cherish my time in Miami.”
In four seasons, the 42-year-old McDaniel generated a record of 35-33, with two playoff appearances. Including the postseason, he finishes 35-35.
His offensive system works very well, when he has the right personnel to execute it. Too often, however, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa wasn’t available. More recently, there were too many turnovers.
And the narratives about the team’s toughness, especially in cold-weather games, only got stronger with more and more opportunities to reverse it. Entering 2025, the message was that the culture would change. By year four, that’s tough for any coach to do.
McDaniel’s methods could still work well elsewhere, either as a head coach or as an offensive coordinator. His book has many more chapters, and there will be another opportunity to write a few as the head coach of another team.
The Dolphins fired Mike McDaniel on Thursday, setting him up to be one of the top offensive coordinator candidates available in this coaching cycle.
But there’s also a chance McDaniel lands another head coaching job right away.
According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the Browns have interest in McDaniel as a candidate for their head coaching vacancy.
McDaniel has some history with the organization, albeit from a while ago. He was Cleveland’s receivers coach in 2014 under head coach Mike Pettine when Kyle Shanahan was the team’s offensive coordinator. When Shanahan departed the organization, McDaniel followed him to Atlanta and then to San Francisco.
Cabot notes that McDaniel has long been admired inside the Browns’ building and has been on the team’s radar for some time. The club will do its due diligence on McDaniel now that he is available.
The Browns beat the Dolphins 31-6 in 2025. McDaniel was 35-33 in the regular season and 0-2 in the postseason with Miami.
The Dolphins became the eighth NFL team to make a coaching change since the start of the 2025 season when they fired Mike McDaniel on Thursday.
McDaniel’s ouster came days after the end of the regular season and after McDaniel held a pair of press conferences that focused on his plans to move the team in a different direction during the 2026 season. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross released a statement about the decision shortly after news of the change was reported by multiple outlets.
“After careful evaluation and extensive discussions since the season ended, I have made the decision that our organization is in need of comprehensive change. I informed Mike McDaniel this morning that he has been relieved of his duties as head coach,” Ross said. “I love Mike and want to thank him for his hard work, commitment, and the energy he brought to our organization. Mike is an incredibly creative football mind whose passion for the game and his players was evident every day. I wish him and his family the best moving forward.”
The timing of the change has led to immediate speculation that the Dolphins will be making a run at hiring John Harbaugh as their next head coach. The team has been linked to Jim Harbaugh in the past due in large part to Ross’ role as a major donor to the University of Michigan and we should learn soon if they’ll wind up with a different Harbaugh on the sideline at Hard Rock Stadium.
As it turns out, Mike McDaniel will not return in 2026.
Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has fired McDaniel on Thursday.
McDaniel, 42, finishes his Dolphins tenure with a 35-33 record. He was hired in 2022, going 9-8 with a postseason appearance in his first season. The club improved to 11-6 in 2023, but again lost in the first round of the playoffs.
Miami was 8-9 in 2024 and 7-10 in 2025. The Dolphins and former General Manager Chris Grier parted ways midway through the season.
Now the Dolphins will have the opportunity to start fresh with a new G.M. and head coach.
One of the new regime’s first big decisions will be addressing the quarterback position with Tua Tagovailoa.
