Owners Could Vote Out Dolphins’ Stephen Ross If Tanking Allegations Are Proven

According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, if the league’s investigation can corroborate former Dolphins HC Brian Flores‘ claims that owner Stephen Ross offered him $100,000 per loss, the other owners could vote to strip Ross of his team. 

Rapoport talked to sources informed of the league’s investigation into the matter, which has just begun. They plan to talk to all relevant parties, including Flores, and Rapoport believes the league views the potential threat to the integrity of the game extremely seriously. 

If it did come down to a vote, three-quarters of the remaining owners would have to vote yes to remove another owner, per Rapoport. 

In the lawsuit, Flores alleges that Ross offered to pay him $100,000 for every game he lost so that they could tank for the No. 1 overall pick that eventually became Joe Burrow. 

“In January 2022, Mr. Flores, who spent three years as the Head Coach of Defendant Miami Dolphins, Ltd. (the “Dolphins” or “Miami”), found himself without a job. He was fired by the Dolphins after leading the team to its first back-to-back winning seasons since 2003. The purported basis for his termination was alleged poor collaboration. In reality, the writing had been on the wall since Mr. Flores’ first season as Head Coach of the Dolphins, when he refused his owner’s directive to “tank” for the first pick in the draft. Indeed, during the 2019 season, Miami’s owner, Stephen Ross, told Mr. Flores that he would pay him $100,000 for every loss, and the team’s General Manager, Chris Grier, told Mr. Flores that “Steve” was “mad” that Mr. Flores’ success in winning games that year was “compromising [the team’s] draft position.”

Flores maintains that he and his legal team have corroborating evidence including messages from GM Chris Grier.

Cameron Wolfe reported he has confirmed with a witness that he specifically heard Ross offer Flores $100,000 for every loss in 2019. 

Ross, 81, initially purchased 50 percent the team and the surrounding land from long-time owner Wayne Huizenga back in February 2008 for $550 million. It wasn’t until the following year that Ross secure an additional 45 percent of the team from Huizenga, bringing his total investment to $1.1 billion.

Since his initial purchase, the Dolphins are 96-113 (45.9 percent) in 13 seasons, including one playoff appearance.

We’ll have more on the tanking allegations against the Dolphins as the news is available.