Bill Belichick Roasted At NFL Honors By Jimmy Kimmel, Cousin Sal Over Brian Flores Text Message Snafu
BOSTON (CBS) -- The NFL has a rather serious matter at hand with Brian Flores' lawsuit against the league for racial discriminations in its hiring processes for coaches. But on Thursday night at the league's annual awards ceremony, it was made into a laughing matter.
Late in the show, when late night host Jimmy Kimmel and sidekick Sal Iacono (aka Cousin Sal) took the stage to present the winner for Offensive Player of the Year, they of course began with some jokes. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was the butt of one of them.
"And finally," Kimmel said to Sal, "Bill Belichick. What are the odds that if Aaron Rodgers wins MVP tonight, Bill accidentally texts Aaron Donald?"
"Oh," Sal said as the audience laughed and cheered. "That's 35-to-1 odds. I think they're making him carry a Jitterbug phone now."
The joke was a reference to Belichick texting Brian Flores to congratulate him for getting the Giants' head coaching job, when in fact it was Brian Daboll whom Belichick had intended to congratulate. Flores published those text messages in his lawsuit to show that his interview with the Giants took place after the team had already made its decision on the next head coach.
Flores has said the situation was humiliating to him. The Giants and the NFL have denied Flores' claims, saying they are "without merit."
The joke on Thursday night got laughs in the building, but there must have been a number of people involved with the NFL -- and the Patriots specifically -- who didn't quite appreciate the humor.