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Did Dolphins attempt to tamper with Tom Brady ahead of his free agency?

Miami might have been wanting to bring the Patriots QB to South Beach at all costs.

NFC Divisional Playoffs - Los Angeles Rams v Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throws the ball in the second quarter of the game against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Playoff game at Raymond James Stadium on January 23, 2022 in Tampa, Florida.
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brain Flores has filed a lawsuit against the NFL after the New York Giants reportedly had made their decision on a head coach prior to his interview with the team. Flores alleges the team was using him to fulfill the NFL’s Rooney Rule, which states a team must interview at least one minority candidate for vacancies. New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s texts to Flores might be the key evidence to Flores winning his case.

Flores also alleges Dolphins owner Stephen Ross pushed him to lose games for a higher draft pick with additional compensation. He alleges Ross also wanted him to tamper with “a prominent free agent QB” to bring him to Miami. And that prominent quarterback is likely the now retired Tom Brady.

Brady has the Michigan connection with Ross, so it’s easy to connect the dots here. Texans QB Deshaun Watson wasn’t in play yet, so he’s not the quarterback being discussed here.

It’ll be interesting to see how the NFL navigates the intricacies of this lawsuit. There’s alleged discrimination against Flores but also tampering with draft pick status and potential free agents. With the Super Bowl in two weeks, this is not what the NFL hoped to deal with as the calendar turns to February.