JUST IN: Miami Dolphins Forfeit 2023 First-Round Pick, Owner Fined $1.5 Million for Tampering

The NFL punished the Miami Dolphins by stripping them of their 2023 first-round draft pick and fining billionaire owner Stephen Ross $1.5 million for tampering with future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady and former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton.

Tuesday’s announced punishments include Ross being suspended through Oct. 17 in which he cannot “be at the Dolphins’ facility or represent the team at any team event” and “can’t attend any league meeting before the annual meeting in 2023,” reported ESPN. The Dolphins also forfeited their 2024 third-round draft pick.

“The Dolphins had impermissible communications with quarterback Tom Brady in 2019-20, while he was under contract to the New England Patriots,” said the NFL in a statement. “Those communications began as early as August 2019 and continued throughout the 2019 season and postseason. These numerous and detailed discussions were conducted by [Dolphins Vice Chairman] Mr. [Bruce] Beal, who in turn kept Mr. Ross and other Dolphins executives informed of his discussions with Mr. Brady.”

Beal was fined $500,000 and is barred from attending all league meetings during the 2022-2023 season.

Following 20 seasons with the New England Patrriots, where he led them to six Super Bowl championships, Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020 and led them to a Super Bowl win in 2021. Payton retired as the Saints head coach in 2021.

The Dolphins’ punishment is the result of a six-month investigation that also determined that the team did not inadvertently lose games during the 2019-2020 season as alleged by former head coach Brian Flores.

“The investigators found tampering violations of unprecedented scope and severity,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in a statement. “I know of no prior instance of a team violating the prohibition on tampering with both a head coach and star player, to the potential detriment of multiple other clubs, over a period of several years. Similarly, I know of no prior instance in which ownership was so directly involved in the violations.”

Watch above, via ESPN.