Broncos' Elway: Flores was genuine coaching candidate in 2019

Denver Broncos president of football operations John Elway said Thursday that his interview of Brian Flores during the club's head coaching search in 2019 wasn't a "sham," as Flores recently said in his discrimination lawsuit.

Elway, who was serving as Denver's general manager at the time, also denied arriving at the interview hungover, as Flores suggested.

"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," Elway said in a statement to The Denver Post's Ryan O'Halloran. "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."

Flores is suing the NFL, Broncos, Miami Dolphins, and New York Giants for using racist hiring practices in coaching searches. He claims the Broncos met with him to satisfy the Rooney Rule, which at the time required NFL teams to interview at least one minority candidate before naming a head coach.

Flores' lawsuit says Elway and other Broncos officials arrived an hour late for his interview and looked disheveled, making it "obvious that they had been drinking heavily the night before."

Here is Elway's entire statement.

While I 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.

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 ultimately hired Vic Fangio from a pool of five candidates. Flores was the only minority candidate interviewed.

Elway served as Broncos GM from 2011-20 before stepping down and moving into his current role.