NFL opens investigation into Ross tanking for pay claims

But.... but, the NFL said the claims were, "...without merit", right?

Sarcasm aside, we all know the NFL would throw one of their own overboard to save themselves collectively. Hopefully events unfold quickly and we enter the NFL season under a new owner.

Can you IMAGINE if Grier somehow survives* this change though?


*Maybe Grier is the unnamed witness mentioned in the article. Too crazy.

 

With all of the talk back and forth…Ross, Flores…choosing sides as it seems, this is my take on this.

Hop back in the wayback machine for a moment…Pete Rozelle was banned from baseball for life for betting on baseball…even though he still claims to this day he never bet against the Reds.

Now, if Ross was offering to pay $100,000 for every game Flores loses, would that constitute the same principle…leveraging the outcome of games?

I think so personally and feel Ross should be banned from football for life.

The alleged tampering, hell, Joe Robbie did that when he went after Shula and it cost us a 1st round draft pick. So I don’t hold any animosity for that. But to ask your brand new head coach to intentionally lose…and offer him a bonus per game to do so, that just crosses the line for me.

 

This isn't going anywhere. No money was exchanged and no deal was made.

All they have to say if there are indeed witnesses that the comment was made "tongue in cheek".

 

If Ross did it in front of witnesses or put it in writing, he's too stupid to breathe, much less own an NFL team. I doubt he did, though.
I would hazard a guess that the "witnesses" Flores is speaking of were people he TOLD about the offer when it happened.

 

yeah, the dolphins really effected sports gambling by losing almost every game that season by double digits.

 

An interview I heard with the lawyers today made it seem like this was the case. They didn't say there were "live witnesses", but people that were made aware of it after it allegedly happened.

Here's the interview:

https://www.audacy.com/wfan/sports/brian-flores-lawyers-discuss-his-suit-on-carton-and-roberts

 

ah, so the definition of hearsay

 

Here's the thing about that- the NFL replied about 20 minutes after Flores & co filed a 50+ page complaint. Pretty sure the "without merit" part was about discrimination, not evil elves handing out money for losing.

 

Flores said late today that there were actual witnesses there and one has already corroborated his story.

Hard to keep track since Flores is doing the full media circuit, but that's also how more and more people are stepping forward. Can't help but wonder if the witness is the QB coach Frye since he suddenly just quit last week.

 

Yes, but look at the pattern here:

• He lied to us and the team in 2019 (about winning)
• He lied about interest in Watson...a day before he met with Watson
• He lied to his coach so he'd attend an illegal meeting w/ Brady
• He lied about bribing Flores, which is a federal crime in sports
• He goaded his idol Harbaugh into quitting Michigan, and interviewing in Minnesota so he could poach him
• He lied to us about any interest in Harbaugh
• He lied to us about Flores being very difficult to work with
• He lied to the media and leaked stories to hurt Flores career
• He lied in the press release yesterday saying Flores lied about everything
• Now he's lying to the NFL...and soon to be lying to the media again

Who is ever going to trust this guy again? Surely not any of the fans, and surely not any of the players. There is zero chance he remains the owner of the Dolphins...zero. And the hysterical part of all this is that if he didn't fire Flores for Harbaugh and make up vindictive lies, none of this ever happens. This is 100% on that evil elf trying to screw over the league, his staff, his players, his beloved Michigan, etc.

The thing is, many here have dreamed of the day Ross will leave. It seems like cBrad posted 3 or 4 days ago that there's no way to get rid of him other than death...and I kind of felt like he was right. So for me, this is a very happy day, maybe the best day in a very long time for this franchise.

Ross screwed us out of enjoying a Pats sweep by firing his coach the next day, and now his ex-coach is screwing him out of a multi-billion dollar franchise. This is so beautiful it's poetic- the evil elf's legacy is probably destroyed forever because of this. He's going to become an outcast in his own circles.

 

Can you post a link of Ross and Watson physically meeting?

 

Literally none of these things in your list are proven as fact.

 

I doubt that. We just hired Frye this year to work with Tua and that was to tank in 2019 season. Dude was no where near the team.

 

His lawyers all but admitted they have nothing. The whole lawsuit is hearsay. I won't be shocked if it's thrown out.

 

*Pete Rose

And Pete Rose's situation was aggravated by the fact that at the time, many attributed the stress of Rose's investigation and punishment with the untimely death of A. Bartlett Giamatti, baseball's commissioner. IMO, that's the unforgivable sin and the reason why Rose will never see the inside of the Baseball Hall of Fame as an inductiee. The other unforgivable sin was the fact that Rose made his bets with the Cincinnati/Louisville mob, which exposed him to being leveraged. Even though he says he always bet for his team to win, anybody with a rudimentary understanding of how crime families act knows that just having Rose's name in their books exposed him to being pressured to throw games. They're not nice lads.

I always suspected that MLB found that dirt on Rose but refused to publicly report it for fear of irreparably harming the integrity of the league. And Rose, being the class act and decent fella that he is, has been propogating the lie that he only bet for his team in order to steer folks away from the very likely fact that he put his thumb on the scales to make sure the mob won. For the record, it's almost impossible to alter the outcome so your team wins because that's what every manager tries to do anyway. The only way to change the impact of the game is to give up runs or lose games.

Now, regarding Ross, if Flo has any receipts, he's going to take a hit. If he's found guilty and he is as unscrupulous as Daniel Snyder, he might threaten to dig up bodies to embarrass the league and walk away with a hefty fine and/or suspension. I doubt he'll be compelled to sell because old rich dudes won't do that to another old rich dude for fear of it coming back on them. See: Snyder, Daniel. Personally, I think he's going to find somebody to fall on a sword and say they miscommunicated the alleged payment offer to Flores and that Ross never intended to tank. Somebody much lower than Ross is going to be joining Flo on the lifetime PUP list. He'll be well compensated, though. I wouldn't be surprised if it was Grier. I have a hard time believing Ross ever talked to Flo without Grier in the room.

 

I don't think you’re using the way back machine correctly Rozelle banned Pete Rose

if I could borrow it, there’s a 1994 AFC Championship game that needs fixin

 

100%

 

I can't remember where I saw that a few months back, but Ross did say that he met with him...about 48 hours after he said that he had no interest in him. It was the day of the trade deadline or the day before.

 

That might make sense five years ago, but in this world of millennial social media, a couple of angry reporters can show how outraged the entire country is over anyone. We live in the world of cancel culture and with other recent movements, I really feel like Ross is going to be pressured right out of town.

Likewise, if it's Flores word against Ross...maybe that dies in a court of law. But in the court of public opinion, it's a very different situation and Flores wins there 10 times out of 10. The NFL only cares about ratings and if this story isn't going away, they'll have to side with public opinion.

 

Dan Snyder would disagree

 

The NFL cares more about it's owners and making money than image. These owners give Goodell boat loads of money to be the commissioner. Ross isn't going anywhere.

 

I really hope you're right, but I fear you won't be. This is the same NFL that swept the Patriots systematic cheating under the rug numerous times. What makes you think they won't do the same here?

 

Lots of people letting their (mostly justified) disdain for Ross color their feelings here.

Based on the quote Flores gave, which included comments about Flores getting on a plane and taking a vacation, it will likely be played off as a joke, and then it will be turned around and Flores will be portrayed as just having sour grapes and that this is the kind of thing he was fired for.

There is little to no chance Ross gets forced out. Doubly so since it sounds like that would also force the NFL to act against the Cleveland owner.

Probably a hefty fine for both, and the league will codify rules about tanking, implement a lottery and some other stuff.

 

I don't think it cares about its owners at all- it cares about the revenue they generate. Again, look at the Carolina Panthers 3 years ago- there were some sexual harassment complaints, the owner settled them quietly, and once it got out and the media started building momentum...he was out.

 

And Dan Snyder isn't out

 

Flores will have to prove, in writing or via a taped recording, that Ross offered him cash to lose, which would violate the NFL’s constitution. Then, and only then, would the league consider forcing Ross out. If Flores doesn’t have that proof, we’re stuck with Ross.

PS. Does anyone know if the interviews with McDaniel and Moore are still happening this week?

 

Last I saw they're now scheduled for tomorrow. Friday.

 

If Brady was leaving the Patriots, how exactly is it tampering? I'd think since Flores coached with the Pats and Brady played on the Pats, Flores could have just reached out to Brady on his own.

 

It is tampering until March 15th.

 

This is what happens when you get old… Sometimes you mix up and combine names LOL

 

This is a point that I have been wondering about, and I am curious about the ramifications of the details.

Suppose everything is true. Ross offers Flo $100,000 per game to lose. Flo declines. Ross sets up a meeting to tamper, again Flo leaves, no tampering was ever done.

The defense is sorta odd. "We didn't commit the crime, but our boss really wanted us to commit a crime." I wonder if this could result in Ross being punished (forced to sell the team), but the Dolphins themselves not being punished (loss of picks).

 

Ross would definitely be guilty of tampering in that scenario

 

If there is no paper trail or audio recording it will never hold up.

They can't go by Flores' word. His lawyers were emphasizing that Flores is a brutally honest man, which tells me they have nothing. If he told the trainer or the janitor or someone afterwards it doesn't matter.

 

Just say Ross, Brady and Flores meet on a yacht for a drink and don't mention a word about football, is that tampering?