Denver Broncos President of Football Operations John Elway of the Denver Broncos looks on during pre-game before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on December 26, 2021. (Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)Photo: Getty Images
John Elway has spoken.
And his words were clear.
Elway denied the claims by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, who filed a lawsuit against the NFL and three teams, the Denver Broncos, the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants on Tuesday, February 1.
Flores alleges that Elway, Broncos President and CEO Joe Ellis and others involved in his 2019 interview for the Broncos head coaching position were late to the interview and were out drinking the night before. He said he could tell who among the Broncos personnel was engaged in the interview and who was not.
Flores believes he was only a candidate for the Broncos position so the organization could fulfill a requirement for the Rooney Rule.
In a statement released on Thursday, Elway said he "was not planning to respond publicly to the false and defamatory claims by Brian Flores, I could not be silent any longer with my character, integrity and professionalism being attacked."
Elway went on to say he "took Coach Flores very seriously as a candidate for our head coaching position in 2019 and enjoyed our three-and-a-half hour interview with him. Along with the rest of our group, I was prepared, ready and fully engaged during the entire interview as Brian shared his experience and vision for our team."
Here is Elway's full statement:
The Broncos organization denied Flores' claims in a statement released on Tuesday, February 1.
STATEMENT FROM THE DENVER BRONCOS
“The allegations from Brian Flores directed toward the Denver Broncos in today’s court filing are blatantly false.
“Our interview with Mr. Flores regarding our head coaching position began promptly at the scheduled time of 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 5, 2019, in a Providence, R.I., 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 a.m.
“Pages of detailed notes, analysis and evaluations from our interview demonstrate the depth of our conversation and sincere interest in Mr. Flores as a head coaching candidate.
“Our process was thorough and fair to determine the most qualified candidate for our head coaching position. The Broncos will vigorously defend the integrity and values of our organization—and its employees—from such baseless and disparaging claims.”
Flores reacted to those claims on ESPN on Wednesday, saying he hopes the truth will come out about that at some point.