The Miami Dolphins met with a quarterback after the 2019 NFL season for a tampering violation, according to a new lawsuit. Now we know the reported identity of the quarterback in question.
Brian Flores filed a lawsuit on Tuesday in which he alleged he was the victim of racial discrimination. His lawsuit was filed against the NFL, the Dolphins and the Denver Broncos.
In his complaint, Flores alleged that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross pressured him to meet with a prominent quarterback in violation of the league’s tampering rules.
Here is the allegation as written in Flores’ lawsuit:
After the end of the 2019 season, Mr. Ross began to pressure Mr. Flores to recruit a prominent quarterback in violation of League tampering rules. Mr. Flores repeatedly refused to comply with these improper directives. Undeterred, in the winter of 2020, 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. Mr. Flores refused the meeting and left the yacht immediately
So, who was the quarterback in question that Flores refused to meet with in violation of the league’s tampering rules?
According to Dolphins reporter Joe Schad, the QB was Tom Brady. Flores didn’t want to meet for two reasons: to avoid violating the tampering rules, and because he didn’t think signing Brady was right for the team.
Brian Flores admires and respects Tom Brady but didn’t want to tamper and also didn’t think it was the right time to recruit Brady considering the status of the Dolphins’ rebuild, which was intended to be a long-term plan, per source.
— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) February 1, 2022
That was the offseason when Brady decided to leave the Patriots after 20 seasons with them. He ended up signing with the Buccaneers, which turned out to be a great choice since he won a Super Bowl in his first season with Tampa Bay.
Maybe Flores was right that Brady wasn’t right for the Dolphins’ long-term needs, as a younger quarterback was probably right for them. But Brady sure proved with Tampa Bay that he remained highly-skilled.
Between this tampering allegation and the tanking allegation, the NFL has a few reasons to investigate the Dolphins hard and potentially come down on Ross.
Photo: Sep 26, 2021; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross reacts during the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
