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By now we’ve all learned about the class-action lawsuit field by Brian Flores against the NFL, Dolphins, Giants and Broncos over alleged discriminatory hiring processes within the league.
Another allegation that came out of that lawsuit was that Flores claims Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered to pay him $100,000 per loss in the 2019 season, which was Flores’ first year in charge of the team, in hopes that the team would tank and secure a really good draft pick.
If that proves to be true then Ross needs to be banned from football. He needs to be forced to sell his team. He needs to be gone from the NFL
The NFL, especially under Roger Goodell’s empty run as the boss, has long gone out of its way to punish teams if they even come close to tarnishing the integrity of the game. Remember what they did to Tom Brady because they thought he let some air out of some balls? Or what they did to the Falcons for piping in some fake crowd noises?
Those two things were pretty silly but the NFL came down really hard.
The tanking allegations against Ross, however, are much more serious. Imagine being a first-year coach in the NFL and suddenly your boss is offering you money to lose. Coaches only get brief stints if things aren’t going well and they want to rack up as many wins as possible to help them in their current jobs and help them with any future jobs they might be up for later on in their careers. I can’t imagine what it would feel like to hear your boss telling you to lose on purpose. That would be awful.
Then imagine what it must be like for players on tanking teams. These are human beings who will more than likely have brief NFL careers and to have one of those years ruined by an owner who is allegedly telling his coach to tank is just disgusting and sad.
This ban should go to any owner who practices this stuff. Former Browns coach Hue Jackson made similar allegations against Cleveland’s Jimmy Haslam last night on SportsCenter. If those prove to be true then Haslam needs to be gone, too.
Ross, meanwhile, denied the allegations in his first words since Flores’ suit was filed, saying in a statement last night:
“With regards to the allegations being made by Brian Flores, I am a man of honor and integrity and cannot let them stand without responding. I take great personal exception to these malicious attacks, and the truth must be known. His allegations are false, malicious and defamatory. We understand there are media reports stating that the NFL intends to investigate his claims, and we will cooperate fully. I welcome that investigation and I am eager to defend my personal integrity, and the integrity and values of the entire Miami Dolphins organization, from these baseless, unfair and disparaging claims.”
Flores had this to say yesterday about the tanking allegations:
“That was a conversation about not doing as much as we needed to do in order to win football games,” he said Wednesday morning on ESPN. “Take a flight, go on vacation, I’ll give you $100,000 per loss — those were his exact words. I deal in truth, I tell the players this, as well. I’m gonna give you good news, bad news – but it’s going to be honest.”
Flores, as we all know, was fired by the Dolphins last month after leading them to back-to-back winning seasons. They started off the 2021 season 1-7 and could have quit on themselves but they fought back to finish the year 9-8. That says a lot about their coach and his mindset and who he is as a person.
It also says a lot about Ross, who was OK firing such a coach who actually had success with a franchise which is not used to that.
If Flores’ tanking allegations are proven to be true, the NFL should then do the right thing and get rid of the guy who allegedly wanted his guys to lose.
Quick hits: Tom Brady’s heartfelt message to Bill Belichick… Mahomes mic’d up on crucial play… Super Bowl squares how to… and more.
– Bill Belichick released a classy, and accurate, statement about Tom Brady and the QB had a heartfelt reply to it.
– This mic’d up video of Patrick Mahomes on a key play before halftime last Sundays shows the QB telling Andy Reid that he’s “got it.” Narrator: He didn’t have it.
– Christian D’Andrea explains how to run and play in a Super Bowl squares pool.
– Get ready for the Olympics with all of our great coverage right here.
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