A judge decided Friday that a discrimination suit filed by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores and others can move forward.

Flores alleged in his original suit that the league was “rife with racism” regarding its hiring practices when it comes to Black coaches.

The NFL argued Flores should have gone through the league’s arbitration process rather than the legal system, but Judge Valerie Caproni disagreed.

“The court’s decision recognizes that an arbitration forum in which the defendant’s own chief executive gets to decide the case would strip employees of their rights under the law,” Caproni said. 

Flores’ attorneys Douglas H. Wigdor and David E. Gottlieb said in a statement. “It is long overdue for the NFL to recognize this and finally provide a fair, neutral, and transparent forum for these issues to be addressed.”

The NFL did not help itself with this offseason’s coaching hires. One head coach of color was hired: Robert Saleh, by the Tennessee Titans.

There were no black coaches hired for the fifth consecutive cycle, prompting a re-evaluation of the Rooney Rule by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. The rule was supposed to help minority coaches get head coaching positions in the league, and so far, it’s fallen short.

This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Judge pushes forward discrimination case against the NFL