Tag: Stephen Ross

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross releases statement in response to suspension, loss of picks

He still denies any wrongdoing.

After former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores claimed that the team had tampered with quarterback Tom Brady while he was still under contract with the New England Patriots in 2019 and that owner Stephen Ross had told the coach to tank that year, the league ran its own investigation.

The findings from that investigation, which was led by former U.S. attorney and SEC chair Mary Jo White, were released on Tuesday. They found that Miami had been in contact with both Brady and New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton’s agent, Don Yee, while the two were still under contract with their respective teams.

As a result, the league stripped Miami of their 2023 first-round selection and 2024 third-round selection. They also suspended Ross until October 17 and fined him $1.5 million as well as suspended Dolphins Vice Chairman Bruce Beal from league meetings through the end of the season and fined him $500,000.

In response, the Dolphins released a statement on behalf of Ross.

The independent investigation cleared our organization on 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. With regards 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 bgin an exiciting and winning season. I will not allow anything to get in the way of that.

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Dolphins tampered with Tom Brady during his Patriots and Bucs tenures

Tom Brady and the Dolphins broke the NFL’s tampering rules while he was under contract with the Patriots and the Buccaneers.’

The Miami Dolphins were guilty of tampering in an attempt to add quarterback Tom Brady on multiple occasions and while Brady was on multiple different teams over a four-year span, according to an NFL investigation.

The Dolphins will lose a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 third-round pick and Dolphins owner Stephen Ross will pay a $1.5 million fine.

The NFL launched an investigation after Brian Flores’ accusations of tampering, systemic racism and tanking. Flores said Ross offered a per-game sum for every loss the Dolphins suffered in hopes of improving the team’s draft position under Flores during his stint as head coach. The NFL claimed that Ross’ offer of payment was “not intended to be taken seriously.”

The Dolphins met with Brady during his tenure in New England from Aug. 2019 and into the postseason from that 2019 season (and into the 2020 calendar year). Brady then met with Dolphins staffers in 2021 and 2022 with both sides exploring becoming a player-owner with the team.

In the Dolphins’ second attempt to bring aboard Brady, Miami also reached out to Sean Payton’s camp in an attempt to add him as a head coach. The Dolphins made contact with Payton, who was retired, without working through the New Orleans Saints, who had him under contract prior to retirement. Again, that’s tampering.

The NFL’s investigation comes in the wake of Deshaun Watson’s six-game suspension, with the quarterback facing over 20 accusations of sexual harassment and assault in civil lawsuits.

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Dolphins forfeit draft picks after tampering investigation involving Sean Payton

Dolphins forfeit multiple draft picks after Brian Flores lawsuit leads to tampering investigation involving Sean Payton, Tom Brady:

Well that’s a doozy. The NFL imposed serious discipline on the Miami Dolphins this Tuesday after an investigation into violations of the league’s integrity of the game policy; spurred by allegations from former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores’ lawsuit, the league found evidence of Ross tampering with then-New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton and then-Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady prior to their retirements earlier this offseason.

To that end, Ross has been suspended from involvement with Miami through Oct. 17 and must pay a $1.5 million fine. The Dolphins are forced to forfeit their 2023 first round pick (though they still own the San Francisco 49ers’ first rounder) as well as their third round selection in 2024. It’s a big hit to their organization.

But to be clear, the Saints (and Payton) didn’t do anything wrong here. When the Dolphins did formally reach out to request an interview with New Orleans, they blocked the request given Payton’s decision to step away from coaching. Before Miami contacted the Saints, though, the NFL found that they conducted “impermissible communications” with Payton’s agent Don Yee without seeking New Orleans’ consent in Jan. 2022. This was also the case with Brady’s camp. Here’s the excerpt on Payton from the NFL report:

“In January 2022, 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.”

It’s been widely reported that Ross had designs of pairing Payton with Brady in Miami, with the latter possibly becoming a minority owner of the team while also suiting up as the Dolphins quarterback on Sundays. But Flores’ lawsuit scuttled those plans and shifted focus elsewhere, also leading to this NFL investigation. Now the book has been thrown at them, making it increasingly unlikely that they’ll try a second run at Payton in the future.

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Dolphins lose 2023 first-round pick, owner Stephen Ross suspended, for tampering

The Dolphins have lost their 2023 first-round draft pick, and owner Stephen Ross has been suspended, after the NFL found anti-tampering violations.

The Miami Dolphins have had more than their share of controversy in recent months. There’s former head coach Brian Flores’ claims against the team, in which Flores says that the Dolphins engaged in racist hiring practices, and that Flores was told by team owner Stephen Ross to “tank” games so that the team would have more favorable draft positions in future years.

There are also claims that the Dolphins reached out to quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Sean Payton in ways that violated the NFL’s rules against tampering.

After a six-month investigation led by former U.S. Attorney and SEC Chair Mary Jo White and, a team of lawyers from the Debevoise law firm, the NFL has leveled serious penalties against the Dolphins franchise.

  • The Dolphins will forfeit the club’s first-round selection in the 2023 NFL draft and third-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.
  • Mr. Ross is suspended through October 17, 2022. During this period, he may not be present at the Dolphins’ facility and may not represent the club at any team or NFL event. He may not attend any League meeting prior to the Annual Meeting in 2023, is removed from all League committees indefinitely, and fined $1.5 million.
  • Mr. Bruce Beal, Dolphins’ Vice Chairman/Limited Partner, may not attend any League meeting for the remainder of the 2022 season and is fined $500,000.

Regarding the alleged tampering, the investigators found tampering violations of “unprecedented scope and severity,” according to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

  1. The Dolphins had impermissible communications with quarterback Tom Brady in 2019-20, while he was under contract to the New England Patriots. Those communications began as early as August 2019 and continued throughout the 2019 season and post-season. These numerous and detailed discussions were conducted by Mr. Beal, who in turn kept Mr. Ross and other Dolphins executives informed of his discussions with Mr. Brady.
  2. The Dolphins again 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.
  3. In January 2022, 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.

“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,” Goodell said via league statement. “Similarly, I know of no prior instance in which ownership was so directly involved in the violations.”

As to the tanking allegations, the investigators were unable to find specific proof.

  1. The Dolphins did not intentionally lose games during the 2019 season.  Nor did anyone at the club, including Mr. Ross, instruct Coach Flores to do so. No witness contended otherwise. The Dolphins competed hard to win every game, including at the end of the season when they beat Cincinnati and New England, despite worsening Miami’s position in the 2020 draft.
  2. On a number of occasions during the 2019 season, Mr. Ross expressed his belief that the Dolphins’ position in the upcoming 2020 draft should take priority over the team’s win-loss record. These comments were made most frequently to Team President and CEO Tom Garfinkel, but were also made to General Manager Chris Grier, Senior Vice President Brandon Shore and Coach Flores. These comments, which he took to be suggestions that he lose games, troubled Coach Flores and led him to express 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. After this, Mr. Ross no longer made any such comments to Coach Flores.
  3. One such comment is a claimed offer by Mr. Ross to pay Coach Flores $100,000 to lose games, as to which there are differing recollections about the wording, timing, and context. However phrased, such a comment was not intended or taken to be a serious offer, nor was the subject pursued in any respect by Mr. Ross or anyone else at the club.

“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.”

Per league statement, “This discipline is informed by the Competition Committee’s clear guidance that more stringent discipline, including suspensions, should be imposed for tampering violations to deter future violations and to safeguard the integrity of the game.”

Ross, who probably shouldn’t be pressing his luck right now, released the following statement.

Dolphins stripped of draft picks, Stephen Ross suspended for tampering violations

This stems from the Brian Flores accusations.

This offseason has been filled with news for the Miami Dolphins, and it all started with the firing of head coach Brian Flores, which led to the filing of a lawsuit and accusations made by Flores against his former team and others.

That led to an investigation, led by former U.S. attorney and SEC chair Mary Jo White, into claims of tampering and tanking.

On Tuesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Dolphins would be stripped of their 2023 first-round draft pick and 2024 third-round pick for violating the integrity of the game. In addition, owner Stephen Ross has been suspended through Oct. 17 and fined $1.5 million. Vice Chairman Bruce Beal is barred from attending league meetings for the remainder of the season and has been fined $500,000.

Through the investigation, the NFL announced that the Dolphins had “impermissible communications” with quarterback Tom Brady while he was under contract with the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and also with Don Yee, the agent for former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton prior to his announcement to retire.

The investigation did not substantiate the claims made by Flores regarding tanking in the 2019 season, his first as head coach of the Dolphins. The probe, however, did find that “on a number of occasions during the 2019 season, Mr. Ross expressed his belief that the Dolphins’ position in the upcoming draft should take priority over the team’s win-loss record.”

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Dolphins deny Brian Flores’ NDA claims, but Flores’ lawyers have screenshots

The Dolphins have denied every claim to this point.

The saga of Brian Flores vs. the NFL and the Miami Dolphins has continued early this week with the former Dolphins coach, who is now employed by the Pittsburgh Steelers, giving multiple interviews.

On both the I Am Athlete podcast and HBO’s “Real Sports,” Flores stated that he was asked to sign a non-disparagement agreement when he was fired. Flores said he refused to sign the NDA even though signing the agreement would guarantee the money he was owed over the final two seasons that were left on his contract.

The Dolphins fired back at this claim Tuesday night in a statement.

“This latest assertion by Brian Flores that Steve Ross mentioned an NDA to him is categorically false,” the team’s statement read. “This just did not happen and we simply cannot understand why Brian continues this pattern of making unfounded statements that he knows are untrue. We are fully cooperating with the NFL investigation and look forward to all of the facts coming out which we are confident will prove that his claims are false and defamatory.”

Flores’ representative, Doug Wigdor, responded on social media with screenshots from the agreement that the coach was asked to sign.

Technically, the Dolphins could say that they are distancing Ross from this and pinning knowledge of this on senior vice president Brandon Shore, whose signature is seen in the document. Ross’ name doesn’t appear in those images, so there is some wiggle room.

This battle continues to be Flores making claims and the team denying every part. Until this goes to court, we probably won’t know the truth.

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League source confirms Stephen Ross could be forced to sell if Brian Flores’ allegations are true

No other owner has been actually forced to sell.

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A couple of weeks after former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores filed a class action lawsuit against the NFL and multiple organizations, it had seemed that the buzz had died down.

Flores has alleged that there is racial discrimination taking place in the league’s hiring practices that have resulted in sham interviews for many minority coaching candidates including himself. On top of that, Flores also stated that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him $100,000 for each loss in 2019.

Many originally believed that if these allegations specifically made against Ross were found to be true then he would be forced to sell his team. Now, according to Ian Rapoport, a league source has confirmed that to be the case.

“A league source confirmed that owners could, in fact, vote a fellow owner out under the most dire circumstances based on league rules, which would require a three-fourths vote,” Rapoport wrote in a story early Monday morning.

The NFL is currently investigating the claims made by Flores, as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has stated that any violations will not be tolerated by the league. Flores’ representatives have stated that they have witnesses and evidence that would corroborate the story.

No NFL owner has ever been forced to sell the team, however, former Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson did sell his team amid allegations of inappropriate behavior that ranged from sexual misconduct to racism.

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Stephen Ross hints at a new reporting structure for the Dolphins

There’s a new step between the GM and the owner.

The Miami Dolphins introduced new head coach Mike McDaniel to the media and fanbase on Thursday at his introductory press conference.

Before McDaniel took the stage, owner Stephen Ross and general manager Chris Grier took some time to speak about the process of hiring McDaniel, and why they arrived at the conclusion that he was their guy.

During Ross’ speech, he mentioned the reporting structure that the organization will use to get information passed up the ladder. Ross stated that McDaniel would report to Grier, and Grier would then report to CEO, vice chairman, and president Tom Garfinkel as well as Ross.

This is a new revelation, as Garfinkel, who has been with the team since 2013, has not been involved in football operations before, as far as we knew. The move could mean a lot of changes, or it could mean absolutely nothing, but it’s interesting to note at the very least.

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Stephen Ross and Chris Grier release statements on Mike McDaniel hiring

Both are very excited.

After taking some backlash for the firing of Brian Flores just a few weeks ago, the Miami Dolphins hired San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel on Sunday to be the 11th full-time head coach of their franchise.

Once the contract was officially signed, owner Stephen Ross and general manager Chris Grier released statements through the team’s social media channels to share their feelings on the hiring.

“I’m very excited to have Mike as our new head coach,” Ross said. ” It’s clear he is an out of the box thinker, and he takes a different approach to problem solving. He’s a leader, innovator and a collaborator.”

Grier echoed similar sentiments.

“We are excited about the addition of Mike McDaniel as our next head coach,” Grier said. “He is a smart, innovative football mind, but he is much more than that. He excels in developing people, consistently bringing out the best in his players. We talked to a lot of people around the league when conducting this search and each one praised Mike for his football intelligence, creativity and for who he is as a person a leader. We believe in him and are excited for the future of the Miami Dolphins with Mike leading the way.”

These characteristics that both men listed are some of the same that Ross listed as reasons for moving on from Flores at the end of the season. It seems they got the guy they wanted.

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Jamal Adams says he respects everything Brian Flores stands for

The NFL seems to go through a major scandal every other year. The newest one has the potential to blow all the previous ones out of the water.

The NFL seems to go through a major scandal every other year. The newest one has the potential to blow all the previous ones out of the water.

Former Dolphins coach Brian Flores is suing the league and three teams, alleging racial discrimination in their hiring practices. While the NFL not giving black coaches a fair shot is hardly breaking news, Flores also says Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him $100,000 per loss during the 2019 season in an attempt to tank for the No. 1 overall draft pick. Flores refused. He also says Ross tried to get him to tamper with a “prominent” quarterback under contract with another team, which we now know was Tom Brady. Flores also says the Giants held a sham Rooney rule interview with him, having already decided to hire Brian Daboll. We learned this thanks to an epic boomer moment from Bill Belichick, who texted Flores his congratulations, thinking it was Daboll he was communicating with.

Since Flores made his allegations public, several other coaches have chimed in with similar stories, including former Browns coach Hue Jackson, who says he was also offered bonuses to lose.

A lot of NFL players have also come out in support of Flores, including Seahawks strong safety Jamal Adams. On Twitter, he said he respects everything the coach stands for.

Flores deserves all the credit in the world for his bravery. There’s a very strong chance that he’ll be blackballed the way Colin Kaepernick was. Hopefully that won’t be the case.

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