Tua Tagovailoa became the latest member of the Dolphins to address the franchise’s sanctions from the NFL on Wednesday following the league’s investigation into allegations that Miami engaged in tampering and incentivized losing games.
Over the course of the six-month investigation, the NFL discovered the Dolphins had “impermissible communications” with Tom Brady during 2019 and ’20, while he was under contract with the Patriots, and again after the ’21 season, while the seven-time Super Bowl champion was with the Buccaneers. The conversations, which involved Dolphins’ owner Stephen Ross and vice chairman and partner Bruce Beal, at times focused on the 15-time Pro Bowler possibly playing for Miami.
In between the Dolphins illegal communication with Brady, Tagovailoa was selected by Miami with the No. 5 pick in the 2020 NFL draft. The former Alabama star has since gone onto to make 21 starts for the franchise, posting a 13–8 record while throwing 27 touchdowns and 15 interceptions over the last two seasons.
Despite his relatively steady play, questions remain about whether Tagovailoa is the Dolphins long-term solution at the position. Given that the league found that Ross was exploring another high-profile option, it seems as though Miami had its doubts as well.
Speaking with reporters Wednesday, Tagovailoa addressed the developing situation, explaining that he first heard about the results of the league investigation when he went into the locker room following Tuesday’s practice.
“I mean I have no idea about all of the details, other than what was shown on TV. ... That something happened with Brady. I mean, I don’t know all the details, I don’t even know what happened,” Tagovailoa said, per NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe. “I got to talk to a couple of the guys to kind of find out what was going on and everyone is wondering the same thing, so it’s not for sure.”
Tagovailoa was then asked if he’d had conversations with Dolphins’ leadership about his standing with the team, given that the league’s findings suggested Miami was in contact with Brady both before and after the former Alabama quarterback was with the franchise.
After asking for clarification, Tagovailoa said he couldn’t speak to what happened before his arrival in Miami, explaining that he feels the Dolphins have been “all in” with him since he was drafted.
“I remember I came in in 2020. So whatever happened in 2019, I can’t even speak on that,” he began. “I was here in 2020 and I’m still here. I’m blessed to be here. If it has to do with support from the team, I think the team’s all in with me.”
The investigation into the Dolphins began in February after former Miami coach Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against the league, three of its teams—the Giants, Broncos and Dolphins—and 29 “John Doe” teams. In the lawsuit, Flores claims that Ross tried to get the coach to recruit “a prominent quarterback” who was under contract to another team during a meeting on the owner’s yacht. Flores says he refused to meet with the quarterback, who was later identified as Brady, and left before the quarterback was supposed to arrive.
Flores also says that Ross offered him a $100,000 bonus for each game lost during the 2019 season so that Miami could have better positioned in the ’20 draft. The league found in its investigation that “the Dolphins did not intentionally lose games during the 2019 season” and no one at the club “including Mr. Ross [instructed] Coach Flores to do so.”
The league ruled that Miami will forfeit the club’s first-round selection in the ’23 NFL draft and its third-round pick in the ’24 NFL draft following the results of the investigation. Ross is suspended through Oct. 17, ’22 and will not be allowed to be at the team’s facility or represent the club at any team or NFL event during the period of his suspension. He will also be fined $1.5 million.
Beal, who was considered to be Brady’s primary point of contact with the Dolphins, will also be fined $500,000 and banned from league meetings for the rest of the year.
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