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A six-month probe led by former U.S. attorney Mary Jo White
found the club had "impermissible communications" with Tom Brady
on two occasions in an effort to lure the star quarterback to
Miami, as well as with the agent for former New Orleans Saints
head coach Sean Payton.
The Dolphins forfeit a first-round pick in 2023 and a
third-round selection in 2024. Ross was suspended from all
activities through Oct. 17 and fined $1.5 million by the league.
He was removed indefinitely from all league committees.
"The investigators found tampering violations of unprecedented
scope and severity," commissioner Roger Goodell said in a news
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."
The investigation concluded that the Dolphins reached out to
Brady as far back as 2019 when he was under contract with the
rival New England Patriots and that both Ross and Bruce Beal,
the team's vice chairman and limited partner, were involved.
Beal was fined $500,000 and banned from attending any league
meeting for the rest of the 2022 season.
The investigation, however, did not find evidence to support the
claim of former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores that he was
offered money to intentionally lose games to enhance the team's
draft position in 2020.
The report said the team "competed hard to win every game" but
acknowledged that Ross made a number of comments that draft
position "should take priority over the team's win-loss record."
When Flores expressed "his concerns in writing to senior club
executives, each of whom assured Coach Flores that everyone,
including Mr. Ross, supported him in building a winning culture
in Miami," the comments stopped, the report said.
"Every club is expected to make a good faith effort to win every
game," Goodell said. "The integrity of the game, and public
confidence in professional football, demand no less. An owner or
senior executive must understand the weight that his or her
words carry, and the risk that a comment will be taken seriously
and acted upon, even if that is not the intent or expectation.
Even if made in jest and not intended to be taken seriously,
comments suggesting that draft position is more important than
winning can be misunderstood and carry with them an unnecessary
potential risk to the integrity of the game.
"The comments made by Mr. Ross did not affect Coach Flores'
commitment to win and the Dolphins competed to win every game.
Coach Flores is to be commended for not allowing any comment
about the relative importance of draft position to affect his
commitment to win throughout the season."
Ross released a statement saying that although he "strongly
disagree(s)" with the findings of tampering, he will accept the
punishment. He also said he was pleased to put the tanking
allegations to rest.
"The independent investigation cleared our organization of any
issues related to tanking and all of Brian Flores' other
allegations. As I have said all along, these allegations were
false, malicious and defamatory, and this issue is now put to
rest," Ross said.
"With regard to tampering, I strongly disagree with the
conclusions and the punishment. 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. I will not allow anything to get in the way of that."
Ross, 82, who made billions in New York real estate, completed
the purchase of the Dolphins and their stadium for $1 billion in
2009. In 2021, Forbes valued the team at $3.42 billion.
Flores was fired in January 2022 with two years remaining on his
contract, despite leading Miami to back-to-back winning seasons
for the first time since 2002-03.
Flores and his attorney, Douglas H. Wigdor, both released
statements following Tuesday's league announcement.
"We are certainly disheartened that the investigator, and
apparently the Commissioner, excused highly inappropriate
comments that go to the heart of the game's integrity regarding
tanking as being in jest especially when there was a letter
written by Coach Flores at the time demonstrating the gravity
with which these comments were received by Coach Flores," Wigdor
said.
Added Flores, "There is nothing more important when it comes to
the game of football itself than the integrity of the game. When
the integrity of the game is called into question, fans suffer,
and football suffers."
--Field Level Media
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