Tom Brady likes the sun. That’s why two years ago, when he was looking for a new team in the National Football League (NFL) for the first time after two decades with the New England Patriots, he consciously chose the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was looking forward to the good weather in Florida, he said at the time. The fact that the state does not levy an income tax could be taken as a pleasant side argument.
After two years in Tampa Bay, the most successful football player in the history of the NFL moved on again. Brady wanted to go to the Miami Dolphins, same weather, same state (and same tax rate). Pleasant side argument, the second: The Dolphins also wanted to make Brady a co-owner of the franchise and, should he actually retire at some point, put him in charge.
Brady wanted to become a Dolphins co-owner
But in the NFL it’s not that easy to get out of an existing contract, and what’s more, you can’t actually negotiate new contracts if you’re still in an existing contractual relationship. The league has clearly defined rules for this: For example, the team with which a player is under contract must be informed about the talks and also agree to them.
When Brady actually retired in February this year at the age of 44, the entire football world wondered why. Well, you can assume so, because: Brady wanted to join the Dolphins, wanted to be a minority owner in the rapidly growing business of the NFL, wanted, you have to give him that much, to face a new challenge.
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But then, exactly and on the same day, it became known that the freshly fired Dolphins coach Brian Flores made serious allegations against the Miami franchise: Flores published a class action lawsuit, which included, among other things, discrimination because of his skin color, but also an accusation he made of franchise owner and multi-billionaire Stephen Ross: he, i.e. Flores, was offered $100,000 (98,000 euros) for every intentionally lost game during the season. The background: teams with many losses are preferred in the following year in the NFL draft, in which the best young talents are distributed to the teams.
After Flores’ lawsuit, the NFL also launched an investigation, and perfectionist Brady, fearing bad PR, backed down. No transfer to the Dolphins, instead he retired just 40 days after, well, retired and signed another contract in Tampa Bay. Just turned 45 this Wednesday, he is preparing for the new, his 23rd season in the NFL, which will even bring him to Munich in November, when the first regular season game in the world’s best football league takes place in Germany.
NFL releases investigation results
The NFL’s investigation, conducted by attorney and former Securities and Exchange Commission chair Mary Jo White, has now been concluded. A day before Brady’s 45th birthday. The league published the results in a remarkably detailed and transparent press release.
In essence, it says: Yes, Dolphins owner Ross has expressed several times that he classifies a good position in the draft as more important than the number of games won. And yes, Ross also brought up the sum of $100,000 as a reward. However, this was “neither intended as a serious offer nor was the issue pursued in any way by Mr Ross or any other member of the club”. Regarding the accusation of discrimination: not a word.
Must stay away from team grounds until further notice and banned from representing Miami at NFL gatherings: Dolphins owner Stephen Ross.
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Image: AFP
But, and this is where it gets particularly interesting: The NFL made it clear that all conversations between the Dolphins and Brady, which had been recorded in New England during his time, were conducted without the knowledge and consent of the Patriots and then the Buccaneers. A serious breach of league rules, one “of unprecedented magnitude and severity,” according to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. He was “not aware of any previous case in which the owners were so directly involved in the violations.”
As a result, Ross was suspended entirely until mid-October. He was also indefinitely removed from all league committees and faces a $1.5 million fine. Also, and this should hurt the entrepreneurs a lot more, Miami was deprived of two valuable draft picks.
Brady, who was involved in an under-inflated ball affair a few years ago, may not like this publicity at all. After all, he has now made provision for a career after his career in Tampa Bay. In May he signed a contract with a TV station that wants to use him as a TV expert. The commitment brought in Brady a rumored $375 million (€355 million). He does not have to change his place of residence for this. The tax rate remains the same.
