NFL suspends Miami Dolphins owner and strips team of draft picks after tampering and tanking probe

By Wayne Sterling and Eric Levenson, CNN

Updated 0655 GMT (1455 HKT) August 3, 2022

The NFL suspended Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross six games into the 2022 season and fined him $1.5 million for violating policies related to integrity of the game.

(CNN)The NFL stripped the Miami Dolphins of two draft picks and suspended and fined owner Stephen Ross after a probe into allegations of tampering and tanking found that his teamhad impermissible contact with star quarterback Tom Brady and the agent of former Saints coach Sean Payton.

The investigation, led by former US Attorney and SEC Chair Mary Jo White and lawyers from the Debevoise law firm, determined that the Dolphins violated anti-tampering rules on three occasions, the NFL announced in a news release Tuesday. The investigation also found that the team did not intentionally lose games, known as tanking, but noted that Ross repeatedly suggested that the team should prioritize its draft position over winning games during the 2019 season, the release said.As punishment, the Dolphins will forfeit their first-round pick in the 2023 draft and a third-round pick in the 2024 draft. Ross is suspended through October 17, six games into the 2022 season, and fined $1.5 million, the release said.«With regards to tampering, I strongly disagree with the conclusions and the punishment,» Ross said in a statement posted on the Miami Dolphins Twitter account. «However, I will accept the outcome because the most important thing is that there be no distractions for our team as we begin an exciting and winning season. I will not allow anything to get in the way of that.»The investigation found that the Dolphins had «impermissible communications» with Brady in 2019-20 while he was a member