The sharks circling the Miami Dolphins organization over a paid-to-tank scheme and tampering allegations have finally taken a bite. On 2 August, 2022 the NFL announced the following punishments for the charges. Via CBS Boston:

The stripping of a first-round pick in 2023, and the stripping of a third-round pick in 2024.

Owner Stephen Ross is suspended through Oct. 17, 2022. 

Dolphins vice chairman/limited partner Bruce Beal is suspended for the 2022 season.

Michael Hurley, reporting for CBS Boston, noted:

“This marks just the third time that the NFL has stripped a first-round pick from a team, with the previous two instances involving the Patriots (Spygate, DeflateGate).”

In finer detail, the paid-to-tank scheme was outed by whistleblower and former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, who claimed that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered to pay him 100,000 per loss in order to set the team up for choice draft position.

The NFL initially brushed off the claim and now reverses course on its initial response. In addition, the tampering allegations relate to Stephen Ross and the Dolphins organization arranging illicit communications, outside of the league-mandated window, in order to woo quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Sean Payton to Miami.

The penalty is significant in a league where owners so often operate outside of the rules and in light of the Brian Flores class-action suit against the NFL alleging racist hiring practices. If you missed the Brian Flores class-action suit story – with all the trials and tribulation, including texting misfires with Belichick and phony interviews – it’s absolutely worth your time.

It looks like the NFL wants to air all its dirty laundry before the season starts. Should we view the Dolphins punishment in light of the impending Deshaun Watson decision? The Cleveland Browns quarterback looks set to skate on serial sexual abuse allegations. Commissioner Roger Goodell has final say in the Watson matter.

Either the NFL wants to show it can be a tough guy as cover for sweeping the Watson allegations under the rug.

Or the NFL might want to establish a precedent that it’s not afraid of meting out punishments for misconduct, whether by owner, team, or player, preemptively pushing back against a future appeal by the NFLPA and Watson camp if the NFL wants to push for a longer suspension than the arbiter-recommended 6-games?

Prior to the arbiter recommendation, the NFL was pushing for a one-year suspension for Watson, so it’s unclear where league leadership lands on the issue at present. If they want to wrap this up before the season starts, they better get moving. Kickoff’s in September.