The Miami Dolphins were guilty of tampering in an attempt to add quarterback Tom Brady on multiple occasions and while Brady was on multiple different teams over a four-year span, according to an NFL investigation.
The Dolphins will lose a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 third-round pick and Dolphins owner Stephen Ross will pay a $1.5 million fine.
The NFL launched an investigation after Brian Flores’ accusations of tampering, systemic racism and tanking. Flores said Ross offered a per-game sum for every loss the Dolphins suffered in hopes of improving the team’s draft position under Flores during his stint as head coach. The NFL claimed that Ross’ offer of payment was “not intended to be taken seriously.”
The Dolphins met with Brady during his tenure in New England from Aug. 2019 and into the postseason from that 2019 season (and into the 2020 calendar year). Brady then met with Dolphins staffers in 2021 and 2022 with both sides exploring becoming a player-owner with the team.
"The investigators found tampering violations of unprecedented scope and severity. 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 years.” https://t.co/Fln0tyStOU
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 2, 2022
In the Dolphins’ second attempt to bring aboard Brady, Miami also reached out to Sean Payton’s camp in an attempt to add him as a head coach. The Dolphins made contact with Payton, who was retired, without working through the New Orleans Saints, who had him under contract prior to retirement. Again, that’s tampering.
The NFL’s investigation comes in the wake of Deshaun Watson’s six-game suspension, with the quarterback facing over 20 accusations of sexual harassment and assault in civil lawsuits.
