Brian Flores didn’t wait long before issuing a statement after the Miami Dolphins were found guilty of illegal tampering with quarterback Tom Brady, according to an NFL investigation. Former Dolphins coach Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL and the Dolphins on Feb. 1 alleging — among other things — that Miami tried to bribe him to intentionally lose games during his tenure with the Dolphins.
The results of the investigation concluded that while the Dolphins did engage in illegal tampering with Brady while he was still under contract, they did not make an effort to intentionally lose games for the sake of a higher draft pick. Flores was clearly not pleased with the final result of the NFL’s investigation.
“I am thankful that the NFL’s investigator found my factual allegations against Stephen Ross are true,” Flores wrote Tuesday, via Pro Football Netowrk’s Adam Beasley. “At the same time, I am disappointed to learn that the investigator minimized Mr. Ross’s offers and pressure to tank games especially when I wrote and submitted a letter at the time to Dolphins executives documenting my serious concerns regarding this subject at the time which the investigator has in her possession. While the investigator found that the Dolphins had engaged in impermissible tampering of ‘unprecedented scope and severity,’ Mr. Ross will avoid any meaningful consequence. 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 intro question, fans suffer, and football suffers.”
In Flores’ lawsuit, he alleged that owner Stephen Ross offered him $100,000 per loss so that the Dolphins could improve their draft position. The NFL investigation found Ross’ comments about intentionally losing were “not intended to be taken seriously.”
For the tampering scandal, the Dolphins have been stripped of their 2023 first-round and 2024 third-round NFL draft picks. The NFL is fining Ross $1.5 million as a result of the investigation. He will serve a suspension.
