The NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell have dropped the hammer on the Miami Dolphins and their owner Stephen Ross after completing their investigation into tampering charges levied against the team. The Dolphins will forfeit their first-round pick in 2023 and a third-round pick in 2024, and Ross will be suspended through October 17, 2022.

There was a lot to unpack with this investigation, as Ross was found to have tried to illegally recruit Tom Brady to Miami when he hit free agency in the 2020 NFL offseason. There was also a concern that Ross was trying to bribe Brian Flores, the Dolphins head coach at the time, to lose games. Ross reportedly offered Flores $100,000 to lose games, which Flores ultimatelty didn't accept.

Roger Goodell praised Flores for paying no mind to Ross' bribes, regardless of whether or not he actually intended to follow through and pay Flores had he accepted. Goodell says that Flores upheld the standard of competition that is present in the NFL, and believes that he should be commended for his actions.

Flores' has been battling against the NFL recently, and initiated this investigation when he filed a lawsuit against the Dolphins, as well as the New York Giants and Denver Broncos, that alleged racial discrimination. Flores lawsuit made reference to Ross' potential bribes, and claimed his unwillingness to accept the offer was one of the main reasons he got fired at the conclusion of the 2021 season.

Flores will certainly get some retribution here, as Ross and the Dolphins got a pretty steep penalty from the NFL. Roger Goodell clearly believes that without Flores' initial tip, none of this would have been possible, and as Flores lawsuit continues to progress, it will be interesting to see if teams like the Giants and Broncos will be impacted in similar ways.