India, Aug. 15 -- A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that the NFL can face civil claims from Brian Flores and other Black coaches alleging discrimination, rejecting the league's effort to force the former Miami Dolphins head coach into arbitration overseen by Commissioner Roger Goodell.

The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan upheld US District Judge Valerie Caproni's earlier decision, allowing Flores to pursue his lawsuit against the NFL and three franchises, the Denver Broncos, New York Giants, and Houston Texans.

In his opinion, Circuit Judge Jose A Cabranes wrote that the league's arbitration rules, which would require Flores to bring his claims before Goodell, fail to meet the standards of the Federal Arbitration Act b...