Could Tom Brady be reprimanded by NFL for role in Dolphins' tampering scandal?

Tom Brady has owned the Miami Dolphins on the field for over two decades. It was recently revealed that Miami have spent the previous four years attempting to make it official.

Earlier this week, the NFL released the findings of their investigation into the Miami Dolphins. The investigation was triggered by a lawsuit filed by their former head coach Brian Flores. He accused Miami owner Stephen Ross of offering him cash incentives for losing games in order to obtain a better draft spot.

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It did not make for good reading, and it has seen Miami heavily criticized. But what of Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady, who was named in the report? Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk thinks that the NFL needs to look carefully at the situation. He thinks it is not a good look for Tom Brady.

Tampering is a regular occurrence in the NFL. But Tom Brady has allowed himself to be tampered with for a number of years. The fact that it has been so out in the open makes it even worse.

Interestingly, no player can be disciplined for being tampered with. The punishment all goes to the franchise. It will be interesting to see if that changes going forward, in order to prevent players from openly courting other franchises.

Brady was talking with the Dolphins about joining them for years. All while playing for the Patriots. Going to the Buccaneers didn't put a stop to that either. For Brady, tampering really does seem to happen all the time.

While Brady appears to be beyond the NFL's reach, Miami were not so fortunate. After Brian Flores lifted the lid on his time with the franchise, the NFL had no option but to investigate the matter. Especially when Flores commenced legal action.

What did the NFL's investigation into the Miami Dolphins reveal?

The NFL report found a convenient way to sidestep the tanking accusations. They found that Ross did indeed ask Flores to tank, but concluded that he might have been joking.

However, they came down hard on Ross and the Miami Dolphins regarding their conversations with Tom Brady and Sean Payton. Both Ross and his vice chairman Bruce Beal received suspensions and hefty fines. Even worse, Miami lost a couple of valuable draft picks, including next year's first-rounder.

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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the following about the actions of Ross and Beal:

"Investigators found tampering violations of unprecedented scope and severity, I know of no prior instance of a team violating the prohibition of tampering with both a head coach and star player, to the potential detriment of other clubs, over a period of several years."

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This is certainly not great publicity for the image-conscious Tom Brady, but will it lead to a suspension? It does not appear so, although whether it should is a different matter.