Dolphins tampering: 5 NFL teams that lost picks and were fined for unethical practice
The Miami Dolphins have been found guilty of tampering and unethical practice as a result of their contact with both Tom Brady and Sean Payton. As such, the franchise owner has been fined by the NFL and the team has been stripped of their first-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Tampering as an act is considered illegal by the NFL and falls as a breach under their code of ethics.
Tampering relates to a team reaching out to players or coaches or their agents to discuss terms on a future move without the permission of the team that the individual is currently contracted to.
The Miami Dolphins received no permission from either the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the New Orleans Saints to try and ink a deal with Tom Brady and Sean Payton respectively.
The NFL is docking the #Dolphins two draft picks and suspending owner Stephen Ross as a result of the league’s tampering allegation. https://t.co/A9gaz9pzAf
Miami may consider themselves unfortunate to have been caught tampering, but they aren’t the first NFL team guilty of such behavior and stripped of draft picks.
#1 – Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons were found guilty of unethical behavior in 2015 for pumping fake crowd noise into their stadium on gameday.
Whilst not quite tampering, the league saw it fit to punish the Falcons rather heavily with a $350,000 fine and the removal of their fifth-round draft selection in 2016.
It was a case where the punishment was barely in line with the crime, but the Falcons nonetheless also saw their team president, Rich McKay, banned for three months.
#2 – New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints drew ire from the entire sporting world back in 2012. They were found guilty of offering cash bonuses or ’bounties' to their players if they injured opponents.
The Saints were stripped of their picks in the second round of the 2012 draft and third round of the 2013 draft. Meanwhile, Payton was suspended for an entire season.
Whilst somewhat forgotten now, it remains one of the most shameful episodes in NFL history.