Miami Dolphins Reportedly Wanted Brian Flores To Tamper With Tom Brady In 2020
BOSTON (CBS) -- Included in Brian Flores' explosive racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL, there is also the accusation that Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross tried to get Flores to tamper with a "prominent quarterback" during the winter of 2020.
That quarterback was reportedly Tom Brady, according to Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post. Flores obviously had a relationship with Brady from their time together in New England, and Ross evidently wanted to try to get the inside track in signing the quarterback when he hit free agency.
The problem was, Brady was not yet a free agent. And according to the lawsuit, Ross tried to pull a fast one by Flores, which the head coach quickly put an end to.
The lawsuit alleges that Ross conveniently invited Flores to lunch on his yacht at the same time the quarterback was also arriving at the marina. This took place in the winter of 2020, which was right before Brady was set to become a free agent. Brady was still under contract with the Patriots, so Flores did not take the meeting, not wanting to tamper with the quarterback.
"Mr. Ross invited Mr. Flores onto a yacht for lunch. Shortly after he arrived, Mr. Ross told Mr. Flores that the prominent quarterback was 'conveniently' arriving at the marina. Obviously, Mr. Ross had attempted to 'set up' a purportedly impromptu meeting between Mr. Flores and the prominent quarterback," the lawsuit states. "Mr. Flores refused the meeting and left the yacht immediately. After the incident, Mr. Flores was treated with disdain and held out as someone who was noncompliant and difficult to work with."
The suit claims that this hurt the relationship between Flores and Ross and ultimately led to Flores being fired by the Dolphins last month. It also accuses Ross of offering Flores $100,000 for every game that he lost in his first season with the team, as the Dolphins had a directive to tank the season in order to get a better draft pick. Flores went 5-11 in his first season with the Dolphins, before leading the team to winning records in his second and third seasons.
The Dolphins have come out and denied Flores' accusations in the lawsuit.
"We are aware of the lawsuit through the media reports that came out this afternoon. We vehemently deny any allegations of racial discrimination and are proud of the diversity and inclusion throughout our organization. The implication that we acted in a manner inconsistent with the integrity of the game is incorrect. We will be withholding further comment on the lawsuit at this time," the release said.
The NFL also released a statement Tuesday night, saying Flores' accusations are "without merit."
Brady is the latest Patriots connection to Flores' lawsuit. It was brought about because of Bill Belichick sent a text message to Flores congratulating him on getting the New York Giants head coaching job -- two days prior to Flores' interview with the team. Belichick had meant to text Brian Daboll, who was ultimately hired by the Giants, but mixed up his Brians.
The lawsuit alleges that Flores was "forced to sit through a dinner with Joe Schoen, the Giant's [sic] new General Manager, knowing that the Giants had already selected Mr. Daboll."
