Dolphins Scandal: Examining the Fallout of the NFL’s Investigation How the Miami owner’s pursuit of Tom Brady, Sean Payton and Deshaun Watson impacts coach Mike McDaniel and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Plus, the fallout across the league and what’s next.
After a week like this, all we can do to keep from crying is laugh. So let’s try and do a serious breakdown of the NFL’s conveniently timed (what Deshaun Watson thing?) punishment of the Dolphins without shooting milk from our noses.
This investigation, understandably, has a great number of tentacles. Tom Brady is involved, and with Brady being involved, the Patriots, Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft are involved. The Buccaneers, Bruce Arians and Todd Bowles are involved. Sean Payton is involved, which means the Saints are also involved. Brian Flores is involved. Owner Stephen Ross’s reputation has been seriously damaged. The team has been stripped of draft picks, which makes GM Chris Grier and new coach Mike McDaniel also tangentially affected or involved.
First, the particulars: The league stripped the Dolphins of their 2023 first-round pick and 2024 third-round pick, fined Ross $1.5 million and suspended him through Oct. 17, and fined limited partner Bruce Beal $500,000, in addition to banning him from all league meetings this year for one of the most blatant violations of the NFL’s tampering policy in league history. Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a release announcing the punishment that it was “unprecedented [in] scope and severity. 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.”
The six-month investigation found that the Dolphins had “impermissible communications with quarterback Tom Brady in 2019–20 while he was under contract to the Patriots. Those communications began as early as August 2019 and continued throughout the 2019 season and postseason.”
It found the Dolphins “had impermissible communications with both Mr. Brady and his agent during and after the 2021 season while he was under contract to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Those discussions began no later than early December 2021 and focused on Mr. Brady becoming a limited partner in the Dolphins and possibly serving as a football executive, although at times they also included the possibility of his playing for the Dolphins. Both Messrs. Ross and Beal were active participants in these discussions.”
It found that “The Dolphins had impermissible communications with Don Yee, the agent for New Orleans Saints’ head coach Sean Payton, about having Mr. Payton serve as Miami’s head coach. Miami did not seek consent from New Orleans to have these discussions, which occurred before Coach Payton announced his decision to retire as head coach of the Saints. Following that announcement, Miami requested permission to speak to Coach Payton for the first time, which New Orleans declined to grant.”
