EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Brian Flores paused during a reflection on his path through the NFL, unabashed by his goal of getting another head coaching job, to make clear how much he has appreciated his experience as defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings.
“It's been fantastic here in Minnesota,” Flores said, “so it would have to be the right situation to leave for me and my family.”
He won't put any of his own conditions on the search process, though. Flores said in his regular weekly interview session with reporters on Tuesday that he would accept each interview request that were to come to him this winter.
“I plan on sitting down and having conversations with any team that’s interested in talking to me about that position,” Flores said. “I look forward to talking to people about my football journey, and when that time comes I’ll do that.”
His candidacy is more complicated than most, because of the federal lawsuit he filed against the league nearly three years ago after the Miami Dolphins fired him following a three-season stint as their head coach. Flores, who is Black, alleged racist hiring practices for leadership positions across the NFL.
Teams with vacancies must abide by the Rooney Rule, which requires an in-person meeting with at least two nonwhite or female candidates from outside the organization. Flores, in his lawsuit, described a “sham interview” with the Denver Broncos in 2019 that he believed was simply to check the Rooney Rule box. It's no surprise, then, to hear him speak carefully about his vision for the process.
“It's no different to me than any other interview setting in any other industry: Is the vibe, is the energy, is the connection something that you think will be an environment that you can predict that will be a winning environment?” Flores said. “There’s a lot of people involved in that and there’s a synergy you have to have, so I’m kind of looking for that type of synergy also.”
The coaching carousel started spinning this week across the league in the background of the beginning of the playoffs, and the performance of Minnesota's defense this season again put Flores in the mix. That success helped fuel a 14-3 finish for the Vikings, who play at the Los Angeles Rams in an NFC wild-card round game on Monday night. That's where Flores is solely focused, of course. NFL rules prevent him from taking virtual interviews until next week and in-person meetings until Jan. 20, unless the Vikings reach the NFC championship game. In that case, in-person interviews would have to wait until Jan. 27.
Six teams are currently in search mode for a coach: the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets. The Bears and Jets have requested interviews with Flores, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because those teams were not making their process public. The Jaguars announced a list of eight candidates they’ve targeted, meanwhile, and Flores was not on it. Asked specifically about the Patriots, Flores acknowledged his interest in returning to his original organization.
“Any time you’re mentioned in these head coaching conversations or receiving requests, it’s an honor. I definitely don’t take that lightly. ... But I also kind of pride myself in being able to compartmentalize and really lock in or prioritize the different things that are happening in my life,” Flores said. “I think everyone in this profession does the same thing, because we all have a lot of different things going on, and this is part of that. I can tell you this: I’m certainly locked in on the Rams and all of the things that they do.”
Flores was criticized last summer by Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for the way he coached him, a rebuke that stung Flores but compelled him toward personal growth and improvement. He described his time working with Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell and supervising a close-knit defense with three Pro Bowl picks and an NFL-leading 24 interceptions this season as two of his most rewarding years in the game.
“It’s been a great group. It’s a group that really came together quickly,” Flores said. “We have a good time. But we also work very hard, too.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
FILE - Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, center, stands on the field during an NFL football workout in Eagan, Minn., Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File)
FILE - Minnesota Vikings Defensive coordinator Brian Flores looks to the scoreboard in the first half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn, File)
MAPUTO, Mozambique (AP) — Mozambique's main opposition leader returned from self-imposed exile on Thursday clutching a bible and saying he still rejects the results of a disputed election last year that has sparked more than two months of protests and a violent crackdown by security forces.
While Venancio Mondlane stepped off a plane, security forces fired tear gas at hundreds of his supporters who gathered near the main international airport to welcome him home. Mondlane arrived at Mavalane International Airport in the capital, Maputo, to applause from some airport workers and then kneeled in the arrivals hall with a bible in his left hand.
“I want to fight within this country and I will, until the very end, keep fighting for this country,” Mondlane said. “I’m not willing to accept election results if they are the same as those announced up until now.”
He had left the country in October following an election clouded by allegations of rigging against the long-ruling Frelimo party, which has been in power since Mozambique gained independence from Portugal in 1975.
More than 100 people have been killed by security forces, according to international rights groups, since Mozambique erupted in protests after Frelimo was declared the winner of the Oct. 9 election. Some local groups put the death toll at more than 200. Mondlane had called for people to protest the results.
Mondlane has said he left Mozambique fearing for his life after two senior members of his opposition party were killed in their car by unknown gunmen in a late-night shooting on a street in Maputo in the aftermath of the election. Mondlane's party called the killings political assassinations.
Police on Thursday also blocked roads leading to the airport after Mondlane said on social media earlier this week he would return to the southern African country. Tear gas drifted over the airport and surrounding roads and a helicopter hovered overhead. After arriving, Mondlane traveled by car to a public square in central Maputo, with large crowds following him.
Thousands of Mondlane's supporters were expected to gather in Maputo for his return, prompting the clampdown by security forces, which rights groups have accused of using excessive force against post-election protesters. Authorities have said the protests were violent and needed to be subdued, but rights groups say security forces have fired live bullets at peaceful protesters, and children were among those who were killed.
Mondlane accused authorities of kidnapping and killing some anti-government protesters. But he also said he was willing to enter into negotiations with Frelimo to end months of unrest, which has disrupted the country of 33 million. Mozambique has also been battling a violent insurgency by jihadists in the north.
“I’m here in flesh and blood to say that if you want to negotiate, if you want to talk to me, if you want to come to the conversation table, I’m here,” Mondlane said.
Mondlane and other opposition candidates accused Frelimo of rigging the election and international observers reported irregularities in the vote and the alteration of some results. Mozambique’s Constitutional Council upheld Frelimo’s victory last month, making its candidate, Daniel Chapo, the president-elect. He is due to be inaugurated next week to succeed President Filipe Nyusi, who has served the maximum two terms.
Mondlane was second in the official results.
The post-election unrest has spilled over to neighboring countries, with reports of thousands of Mozambicans fleeing to Malawi. South Africa closed its border with Mozambique for several days last year after vehicles were set on fire near the crossing.
The Southern African Development Community, a regional body, has said it will send a delegation to Mozambique in an attempt to find a solution to end the turmoil.
Frelimo has often been accused of rigging elections since Mozambique held its first democratic vote in 1994 following a bloody 15-year civil war Frelimo fought against rebel group Renamo, which is now an opposition party that Mondlane once belonged to before breaking away.
The street protests in several major cities since October have been the biggest threat to Frelimo's rule since the 1977-1992 civil war.
AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
Mozambique's opposition leader Venancio Mondlane addresses supporters from the top of a vehicle on the street in Maputo, Mozambique, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Carlos Uqueio)
Mozambique's opposition leader Venancio Mondlane speaks to journalist upon his arrival, at the Mavalane International Airport in Maputo, Mozambique, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Carlos Uqueio)
Mozambique's opposition leader Venancio Mondlane arrives at the Mavalane International Airport in Maputo, Mozambique, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Carlos Uqueio)
FILE - Independent candidate Venancio Mondlane holds up his finger after casting his vote in general elections in Maputo, Mozambique, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Carlos Equeio, File)
