According to Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN on Tuesday, the Miami Dolphins have been penalized for tampering. The Dolphins are being penalized for violating the National Football League’s anti-tampering policy by having conversations with star quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Sean Payton from 2019 to 2022.
The penalties in this case are significant. The Dolphins lost two draft picks. They lost their first round draft pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and the third round draft pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Dolphins executives were also penalized and fined. Miami owner Stephen Ross was fined a whopping $1.5 million. He cannot attend any NFL meeting before the annual meeting in 2023, and is suspended up until October 17, where he cannot represent the Dolphins or be at Hard Rock Stadium, the home of the Dolphins. Meanwhile, Dolphins Vice-Chairman and Limited Partner Bruce Beal was fined $500,000 and cannot attend any league meeting for the 2022 NFL season.
The overall public image of the Miami Dolphins has taken a hit in recent months. In February, former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores has sued the NFL, Dolphins, Denver Broncos and New York Giants “for racist hiring practices for coaches and general managers” according to the Canadian Press. Flores has since been hired as the defensive assistant and linebackers coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In the 2019 to 2022 time frame, Brady left the New England Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and won a Super Bowl. Earlier this year, Payton meanwhile resigned as head coach of the New Orleans Saints after spending 15 years at the helm.
For FREE!
