Rob Maaddi, FISM News
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Talking to Tom Brady while he was under contract with other teams proved costly for the Miami Dolphins.
The NFL suspended Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and fined him $1.5 million for tampering with Brady and former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton. The Dolphins also will forfeit a first-round selection in the 2023 NFL draft and a third-round selection in the 2024 draft.
Dolphins’ vice chairman/limited partner Bruce Beal was fined $500,000 and may not attend any league meeting for the remainder of the year.
The penalties result from a six-month investigation that originated when former Dolphins coach Brian Flores filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against the league.
The league’s investigation cleared the Dolphins of intentionally trying to lose games during the 2019 season.
However, investigators discovered the team had impermissible communication with Brady and his and Payton’s agent, Don Yee.
“The investigators found tampering violations of unprecedented scope and severity,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement announcing the findings on Tuesday. “I know of no prior instance of a team violating the prohibition on tampering with both a head coach and star player, to the potential detriment of multiple other clubs, over a period of several years. Similarly, I know of no prior instance in which ownership was so directly involved in the violations.”
The investigation conclusively established the Dolphins violated the anti-tampering policy on three separate occasions. The team had impermissible communications with Brady during the 2019-20 season, while he was under contract with the New England Patriots. The Dolphins again had impermissible communications with both Brady and his agent during and after the 2021 season, while he was under contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In January, the Dolphins had impermissible communications with Yee about having Payton serve as Miami’s head coach. The Dolphins did not seek consent from New Orleans to have these discussions, which occurred before Payton announced his decision to retire from the Saints. Following that announcement, Miami requested permission to speak to Payton for the first time, which New Orleans declined to grant.
Brady, who turned 45 on Wednesday, retired in February only to return to the Buccaneers 40 days later. He has won the Super Bowl seven times, three more than any other starting quarterback, and is widely considered the greatest quarterback in league history.
Ross’ suspension will end on Oct. 17. He may not be present at the team’s facility and may not represent the club at any team or NFL event during his suspension. He also may not attend any league meeting before the annual meeting in 2023, and he has been removed from all league committees indefinitely.
“I strongly disagree with the conclusions and the punishment,” Ross said of the tampering conclusion. “However, I will accept the outcome because the most important thing is that there be no distractions for our team as we begin an exciting and winning season.”
Investigators found Ross expressed several times during the 2019 season his belief that draft position should take priority over winning games. However, Flores’ claim of a $100,000-a-game offer from the club to purposefully lose “was not intended or taken to be a serious offer,” according to the investigators. Flores considered the comments a suggestion that he lose games and expressed his concerns in writing to senior club executives. Ross made no more similar comments to Flores.
“I am thankful that the NFL’s investigator found my factual allegations against Stephen Ross are true,” Flores said in a statement. “At the same time, I am disappointed to learn that the investigator minimized Mr. Ross’s offers and pressure to tank games, especially when I wrote and submitted a letter at the time to Dolphins executives documenting my serious concerns regarding this subject at the time which the investigator has in her possession.”