Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross fined $1.5 million, lose 2023 first round-pick for tampering with Tom Brady, Sean Payton

The Miami Dolphins have been struck by the NFL. As a result of their tampering regarding Tom Brady and Sean Payton, they've been hit with a whopping $1.5 million fine. But that's not the extent of their troubles.

As a result, they lost a 2023 first-round pick as well as a 2024 third-round pick. That's an incredibly large punishment for the team, who ended up with neither Brady nor Payton.

Additionally, according to the findings, owner Stephen Ross is suspended through mid-October:

"Mr. Ross is suspended through October 17, 2022. During this period, he may not be present at the Dolphins’ facility and may not represent the club at any team or NFL event. He may not attend any League meeting prior to the Annual Meeting in 2023, is removed from all League committees indefinitely, and fined $1.5 million."

Their vice chairman was hit with a punishment, too:

"Mr. Bruce Beal, Dolphins’ Vice Chairman/Limited Partner, may not attend any League meeting for the remainder of the 2022 season and is fined $500,000."

According to the findings, Tom Brady was very nearly a Dolphin before signing with Tampa Bay:

"The Dolphins had impermissible communications with quarterback Tom Brady in 2019-20, while he was under contract to the New England Patriots. Those communications began as early as August 2019 and continued throughout the 2019 season and post-season."

Miami is in trouble and the tampering did not pay off. They are starting Tua Tagovailoa and Mike McDaniel as their head coach instead of Sean Payton.

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How this hurts the Miami Dolphins

Miami is really derailed in this situation. It would be one thing to tamper and sign someone and then get caught and punished. It's another thing entirely to tamper, fail to sign said player and then get harshly punished anyway.

Tua Tagovailoa is still the starting quarterback, but that might not always be the case. Tyreek Hill believes that this is the last year for the former Alabama quarterback to prove himself to the team.

Tyreek Hill at Training Camp

If he fails to do so, then Miami may be looking for another quarterback. 2023 is a deep quarterback class, with several big names:

• CJ Stroud
• Bryce Young
• Spencer Rattler
• Jaren Hall
• Anthony Richardson

It will now be much harder to draft one of them without a first-round pick.