The NFL released its findings and punishments Tuesday after a six-month probe looking at tampering and tanking in the Dolphins franchise. The league found that Miami had “impermissible” communication with Tom Brady while he was under contract with the Patriots and Buccaneers.
The league also found that the team had contact with former Saints coach Sean Payton’s agent, Don Yee, in January 2022 and did not seek permission from New Orleans.
“The investigators found tampering violations of unprecedented scope and severity,” commissioner Roger Goodell said in the release. “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.”
