By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) -The National Football League cannot force Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ racial bias claims into an arbitration controlled by the league, a federal appeals court ruled on Thursday.

In a 3-0 decision, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said a provision in the NFL constitution granting Commissioner Roger Goodell unilateral authority to arbitrate was “plainly unenforceable” because it would deny Flores arbitration “in any meaningful sense of the word.”

NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said: “We respectfully disagree with the panel’s ruling, and will be seeking further review.”

Lawyers for Flores did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Flores, 44, who is Black, sued the NFL in February 2022, saying

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