John Elway is taking issue with Brian Flores' lawsuit.
In a lawsuit filed against the NFL, the Dolphins, Broncos and Giants, the former Miami coach alleges that Elway and a few other Broncos front-office executives showed up to his head-coaching interview in 2019 an hour late and "disheveled," per the lawsuit, claiming that "it was obvious that they had been drinking heavily the night before."
Flores' attorneys also said in the filing that "it was clear from the substance of the interview that Mr. Flores was interviewed only because of the Rooney Rule, and that the Broncos never had any intention to consider him as a legitimate candidate for the job."
On Thursday, Elway responded to Flores' allegations:
John Elway’s statement on Brian Flores’ lawsuit. pic.twitter.com/umCOkYfq2V
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) February 3, 2022
MORE: Brian Flores' lawsuit explained — What you need to know
Elway's statement in full:
I 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.
It's unfortunate and shocking to learn for the first time this week that Brian felt differently about our interview with him.
For Brian to make an assumption about my appearance and state of mind early that morning was subjective, hurtful and just plain wrong. If I appeared "disheveled," as he claimed, it was because we had flown in during the middle of the night—immediately following another interview in Denver—and were going on a few hours of sleep to meet the only window provided to us.
I interviewed Brian in good faith, giving him the same consideration and opportunity as every other candidate for our head coaching position in 2019.
The Broncos would hire former Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who was fired following the 2021 season.
Elway and the Broncos hired Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to replace Fangio.