Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL and several teams on Tuesday that includes numerous serious allegations. One of them is that Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered to pay him bonus money if he intentionally lost games in 2019. Flores has since revealed more about that directive.
In an interview with ESPN’s “Get Up!” on Wednesday, Flores shared some of the details of an alleged conversation he had with Ross about tanking. He said Ross wanted to speak with the coach about doing less, essentially. Flores claims Ross suggested that Flores take a vacation and not work as hard.
Brian Flores on @GetUpESPN about his conversation with Dolphins owner Stephen Ross on incentives for losing games.
“Take a flight. Go on vacation. I’ll give you $100,000 per loss.”
The Dolphins have denied this claim. pic.twitter.com/TP84JbGpZA
— Will Manso (@WillManso) February 2, 2022
“(We had) a conversation about not doing as much as we needed to do to win football games,” Flores recalled. “(Ross said), ‘Take a flight, go on vacation. I’ll give you $100,000 per loss.’ Those are just his exact words. … To disrespect the game that way, trust was lost and there were certainly some strained relationships.”
Talk of the Dolphins tanking is nothing new. There was a report prior to the 2019 season that they wanted to set themselves up for failure so they could secure a high draft pick. Miami began that season 0-7 and was absolutely embarrassed in the first three games of the season, losing by a combined 133-16. The competition committee even was set to look into the team for losing so badly.
Tanking through roster construction is one thing, but what Flores claims the Dolphins tried to do is a huge issue for the NFL. Commissioner Roger Goodell has spoken many times about protecting the integrity of the game. Another former coach has since hinted that he was also offered money to lose games. The NFL could have a major problem on its hands.
Photo: Dec 19, 2021; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores runs off the field after winning the game against the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
