The National Football League (NFL) has severely punished the Miami Dolphins, owner Stephen Ross and his deputy Bruce Beal. The reason is the forbidden contact with quarterback superstar Tom Brady and the then head coach of the New Orleans Saints, Sean Payton. Ross is fined $1.5 million and suspended until October 17. The Dolphins also lost their first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft and their third-round pick in 2024.
According to the US professional league, those responsible for the Dolphins had contacted Brady and Payton between 2019 and 2022, although they were under contract with other teams. That’s not allowed in the NFL. A former US prosecutor and a law firm had been investigating the case once morest billionaire Ross for over six months. “Investigators have identified violations of an unprecedented scope and severity,” NFL chairman Robert Goodell said in a statement Tuesday.
At the time of first contact, Brady was with the New England Patriots in 2019 before joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. Alongside Ross, Beal was fined $500,000. Ross was acquitted of another charge. He is said to have urged then-Dolphin coach Brian Flores to intentionally lose games for money during the 2019 season. This should improve the team’s draft position for 2020. Investigators might not confirm this. The accusation was triggered by a lawsuit filed by Flores.
