ARIZONA, USA — Editor's note: The above video is from 2018.
Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks has joined former Miami Dolphins' head coach Brian Flores in suing the NFL for racial discrimination in its hiring, according to reports from ESPN.
Wilks, who led the Cardinals for one season in 2018 before being replaced by current head coach Kliff Kingsbury, was discriminated against as a "bridge coach" who was "not given any meaningful chance to succeed," a civil complaint that ESPN obtained said.
"[Wilks's] white GM, who made poor personnel decision and was convicted for a DUI during the offseason, was given a contract extension," the complaint reads. "Mr. Wilks was replaced by a white coach, Kliff Kingsbury, who had no prior NFL coaching experience and was coming off of multiple losing seasons as a Head Coach at Texas Tech."
The complaint gives credit to Kingsbury for his success but goes on to say that if Wilks was given the same opportunity, he also would have succeeded.
Wilks went 3-13 during his 2018 season with the Cardinals.
This is a developing story. Tune in to 12 News for the latest information.
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The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made the State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers also play at the Footprint. Phoenix has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Cactus Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the Waste Management Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall; and Cactus League Spring Training.