While the Miami Dolphins had one of the busiest offseasons by any NFL team, they were also embroiled in a lot of controversies.
Former head coach Brian Flores accused the squad of intentionally losing games when he was at the helm.
However, the NFL determined that the team did not drop games with intent and none of the team’s officials instructed anyone to do so.
But the Dolphins are not out of the woods because of their tampering with quarterback Tom Brady and former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton.
The league found merit in these impermissible communications which led them to penalize the squad.
NFL stripped the Dolphins of their 2023 first-round draft pick and 2024 third-round pick for violating the integrity of the game.
Dolphins’ owner Stephen Ross also suspended through Oct. 17 and fined $1.5 million.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 2, 2022
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted, “NFL stripped the Dolphins of their 2023 first-round draft pick and 2024 third-round pick for violating the integrity of the game. Dolphins’ owner Stephen Ross also suspended through Oct. 17 and fined $1.5 million.”
To sum it up, the Dolphins had conversations with Brady and Payton even though they still had active contracts at that time.
That act is deemed illegal by the NFL and that’s why they are getting penalized.
In addition to Ross’ suspension and fine, Dolphins Vice Chairman/Limited Partner Bruce Beal also was fined $500,000 and ordered not to attend any league meetings for the remainder of the 2022 season.
A Quick Timeline Of The Tampering Incidents
Regarding Payton, the Dolphins had talks with him even before Payton announced his retirement from coaching.
The team also had talks with agent Don Yee, who represents both Brady and Payton.
The illegal conversations with Brady occurred when he had active contracts with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady’s discussions with Miami revolved around taking on an ownership stake in addition to joining the team.
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