so,
This one.
And we know what Flores alleged at some point during the 2019
season.
Stephen Ross offered a hundred thousand dollars per loss and
Flores documented. It sounded the alarm,
sent the memo internally.
And at one point NFL Network reported that there was
an unnamed witness who corroborated that Ross said
100,000 wasn't right. I was told a long time ago
Ross is defense is going to be it was a joke. Yeah
and I think but for the Brian Flores lawsuit
the NFL would have said
it's not a funny joke. Yeah. I think the bride Flores lawsuit
is one of the key reasons why the NFL sir The wagons because
they're in
wagons circling mode from Flores lawsuit. And one of
the claims is, you fired me because
I raised the alarm internally about tanking and I resisted
these efforts to tank and you fired me in violation of
Florida, public policy, because I blew the whistle on tanking.
So they can't because of that lawsuit. They cannot find that.
Stephen Ross was trying
to get Brian Flores to tank. The can't do it now. There's
a separate reason why they can't do it. The deals will legalize
gambling, but for that reason, Reason alone, they can't do it.
And I say all that because
when you look at the findings,
it looks like they found guilty
at a minimum attempted tank. Yes, attempted tank. Right here
we go.
The Dolphins. This is paragraph. One of the findings
that were made as to tank the Dolphins did not intentionally
lose games during the 2019 season nor did anyone at
the club including mr. Ross instruct coach floors to
do so no witness contended. Otherwise the Dolphins competed
hard to win every game including End of the season
when they beat Cincinnati and New England
while worsening Miami's position
in the 2020
draft. Let's go to point 2 though because they tie
together on a number of occasions funny. This wasn't
point one. I had
on a number of occasions during the 2019 season
mr. Ross expressed his belief that the Dolphins position in
the upcoming 2020 draft should take priority
over the team's win-loss record expressed his beliefs practice.
His belief, these comments that is the owner of the team by
the way, the guy who signs the check. Yeah, these comments
were made most frequently to team, president, CEO, Tom
garfinkel, but also were made to General Manager, Chris
career, Senior Vice-President, Brandon
Shore, and Coach Flores these comments,
which he took to be suggestions that he lose games. Troubled
coach Flores
and led him to express his concerns in writing to senior
Club Executives. Each of whom assured coach Flores that
everyone including mr. Ross, supported him in building
a winning culture in Miami after. Mr. Ross, no longer made any
such comments
to coach, floors doesn't say whether or not he made the comments
to anyone else but he no longer made them to coach Flores.
Look, this is,
this is unbelievable to me,
because I've said this for years, this goes back to
Johnny, Manziel being drafted by the brown. Yeah.
And Jimmy has, I'm the owner, the Browns.
Insisting, at the time, I never told anyone E 12 draft, Johnny,
man. Right? This is one of the Privileges of being the owner,
an NFL team and a multi-billionaire. And I make
this example
in Playmakers,
if the boss, the multi-billionaire walks through
the front door and there's a bowl of candy and their Kit
Kats. And he's never seen one before in his life and he's
never had one in his life and he unwraps and he takes a
bite. Very perception. Is
this is the best candy I've ever had in my life. Yeah,
anywhere that guy goes
and opens a drawer Kit. Kats are going to fall out of it.
Anybody who wants to Send you to work for him knows he likes.
Kitkat's. He doesn't have to say go out and buy a thousand
bags of Kit, Kats. You do it
because they all pay attention to the person who runs
the team.
They're all listening for whatever it takes. They're all
on pins and needles. They're all tiptoeing on eggshells,
around the guy who is the center of power in
the organization.
One of the benefits of being that guy, is you never have to
order the code red. You never have to say, go lose games. You
make your preferences known,
and the people who are smart enough, and who truly believes
in the world were you, like will listen and act
accordingly. Now, you never have to say to Brian Flores.
I want you to lose games, all you have to say is you know,
you know, I was thinking
It would be better situation, not even insinuation, expressed
his belief, I know. But even if somebody didn't send you
a mission, you should take
priority. All he has to say is hey, you know,
you know coach our draft position next year in my mind,
takes priority
to our win-loss record
this year. You don't even have to wink when you say it when
you're Steven Ross and
and and this is where
It's mind-blowing that they didn't take action against Ross
because you're never going to catch a guy tanking.
If the person who Blows the Whistle,
is also the one that saved the owners asked by refusing to do
it. The only reason it didn't happen is because Flores was
gonna win, do it right. And the only reason we know about it
Chris is because Flores complained about
how many times has it happened, eight Lovie Smith did it
in Tampa. Sorry lovey, he did it in Tampa, he went with it
when they took out half the starting lineup in the second
half of the week 17 game.
It's the Saints to blow a double-digit lead so they can
nail down Jameis Winston. Sean, Payton was on this program at
the, at the Super Bowl and he said,
you know, I'm standing on the sidelines
and they're usually I get a report when guy Carter's out,
right? And
everybody's out there, all out. What's going on with starting
the third quarter, and everybody's out, what
the hell's going on. Peyton's a firm believer that
the Buccaneers tanked in that game. He believes the Eagles. Tanked
remember that week 17 game? MBC affected the Giants playing
Hearts is out. But made such felt in, right? Peyton's
a believer that they tank then
and we don't know about it because the coach didn't blow
the whistle because the coach went along with it. Yeah. The
coach is not going to blow the whistle on something. He went
along with because he's hurt by it too.
So I it's
it's astounding to me that they didn't punish Ross because Ross
tried to tank
but for Brian Flores
and Raju. Now commended
Brian Flores for resisting
but for Flores they would have tanked but we also would have
never known it. They don't when the NFL doesn't want to
incriminate themselves here. Yeah, I mean, I think that's
bottom line that's where it came to exactly, right. I mean,
the the first paragraph in the second paragraph, don't even
make sense when you read them back-to-back. It's like they
literally talking out of both sides of their mouth are
really. They are they are and I think to your point you've said
this for a little while, I think it is very real,
especially in football world,
you know, it doesn't have to be in writing. It doesn't to be
a part of a contract head coaches.
You know, head, coaches, owners, whatever. It's got
a that that military, you know, take the command. Yep. Oh,
okay. I know they don't have to like, Command you and you go
Jon Gruden can insinuated something to me when I was
the quarterback of the boxes if he insinuated him. Okay, he wants
me to do that. All right, he'd like to see me out on
the field, you know, he told me a story once about quarterbacks
used to throw
balls at a garbage at a garbage cans and they'd stack them up
and do that. And you know what I was doing, two days later
I was gonna let me go do that, he'd obviously like some
quarterbacks do that. So let me get the quarterback coach how
to do that yet that your point is where we're going here,
doesn't have to be something, you know, in writing or
anything like that.
And that's where it's tough. Obviously floor has fought back
against it but to me it doesn't get much more blatant than
that. And a lot of ways. But nothing's going to happen here.
They went really hard on the first one probably could have
gone harder.
They're not going to go any hard on the, the tanking charges
because that just is a
total
s*** show for the NFL as a whole sorry, Matt, Casey not
London, their sorry. Matt Casey, who's in the room today,
why we can sleep? We're actually in a position where
when we drop
the periodic ass bomb, we can see his facial expression but
even in Here. Let me just, I mean, it goes on in any
workplace to your point. I have bosses here at NBC. Sometimes
I say things about quarterbacks. They come in and they want to
correct,
me or say something? Tell me. I'm,
I shouldn't have said this about the quarterback and
I little to join go. I legitimately for a second.
Start to go, man. Maybe I was wrong, maybe I'll correct that.
But then I realized they know nothing about quarterbacks and
I don't change my opinion
but but that's what happens, you know. So you do think that
but there's a difference that's your point. There's
a difference built into the hierarchy there is
and When you're dealing with the person at the, very top of
the hierarchy, who is a multi-billionaire, one of
the most powerful people in the world and he's saying
he, I can't believe they put this in writing
that he expressed
his believe. It doesn't make sense. Draft position
should take priority.
That's all you need to find that he tanked, he put
the wheels in motion
and I'm telling you and I don't want to engage in hyperbole
here. Brian Flores is a hero. He's a hero
for pushing back.
Against Stephen Ross and ignoring
Stephen Ross, and, and because he did, that's what led to.
And this is the third point from the
tanking findings in the NFL statement. One such comment
that Ross Made, is it claimed? Offered by mr. Ross to pay
coach Flores a hundred thousand dollars to lose games as to
which there are differing, Recollections, about
the wording. The timing in the context wasn't that true of
anything that anyone says
there's different Recollections, we're human
beings. There's always different Recollections of what
was said, the wording, the timing the context, however
phrase such a comment Not intended or taken to be
a serious offer.
Nor was the subject pursued in any, respect by mr. Ross or
anyone else at the club? Well, wait a minute. I thought Brian
Flores, took it to be a serious offer. So that's baloney right
there. Yeah, he took it to be a serious offer. See if you're
going to put Credence in the things.
Brian Flores is saying,
you can't pick or choose
what you're going to believe in what you're not going to
believe exactly what we believe Brian Flores, when he reduced
to writing his concerns about Stephen Ross, expressing his
belief that draft position takes precedence over when
loss.
Record. But we're not going to believe him. When he says that
he took that off the totally serious. Right? Right. And
here's how it goes. Ross keeps saying to Brian Flores
draft position. Takes precedence over win-loss record
and he still winning games and he's still saying it. And at
some point, Ross says, what do I have to do? Offer you
a hundred thousand dollars per loss? I mean that may have been
how it went
or maybe stronger than that but
you're right. They were not going to find that. He did it
because of the Flores lawsuit. And Chris, I'm surprised,
they're already has
Been a class action lawsuit brought on behalf of everyone,
who placed a legal wager, on the Dolphins, on a money line,
or on a spread bet in 2019, arguing that the Dolphins
weren't trying to win.
This is what the NFL cannot have in a world of legalized
gambling. You cannot have anyone connected to a team
that isn't constantly saying all we want to do is win all we
want to. Do is win. Nothing Else Matters. And that's why
the NFL, I think they don't have a draft lottery
because they don't want to legitimize. Yeah. The
Temptation right? In December and January. When your team is
done, when your team is out of it, to not, try to win every
game. They don't want to go there
because that's how
you get lawsuits. That's how you get prosecutions.
That's how you end up with an agency a federal agency, like
the Securities and Exchange Commission that has full
regulatory power over professional football. They
don't want it. That's why
Stephen Ross wasn't punished
for what he did. And at a minimum,
it's attempted tanking
at a minimum, he aimed the gun,
he missed the guy, he was trying Shoot him,
he pulled the trigger and he missed
and he's,
he's not, he's not accountable. Yeah, no, I mean, I know you
brought up a few, you know, reasons or examples, you know,
of the team's tanking Lovie, Smith, that bucks, all that,
the Eagles, all that, but I do think, you know, as a whole
the NFL
there's more coaches, I feel like on made of the mold of
Brian Flores.
You know, as we talked about before, you've heard me say this,
you know, this goes back to
an old Bill Parcells quote, I
I heard my dad say before where, you know, they put
the record on your gravestone. They do these guys, you know, as
we've talked about this before,
most of these coaches, especially if they're not sure.
If they're Totally Secure, don't want a tank one, because
it's going to be held against them, like you talked about and
to, they do want to build a winning culture. That's what
Flores was trying to do here
and it's probably what will stop any class, love,
you know, lawsuit or whatever. The fact that they won those
last two games against the Bengals and a Patriots team
that was going to the playoffs. But
That will always be the issue there. That's where owners need
to be. I think really careful going forward and I'll because
this is a thing now.
But most coaches,
they're not going to be in the business of,
you know, folding their tents and going, we're going to lose
this one today.
I just don't believe they believe in that Karma. It's
always about fighting winning building something and they
know that, you know, even though if they did tank or lost
games deliberately and lost the last five games of the year,
as you know, I know anybody knows two years later,
everybody's going to go He lost those last five games of
the year that Year and no one's going to stick up from
the owners, not going to come out and go.
Well, you know, I told him to lose them, it wasn't really his
fault so that's where coaches I think are going to can, I have
to continue to push back here a little bit and maybe do have
some power with Sean. Payton has made the
point as well. That tanking is just completely contrary to
what you try to do in building a, it's a disease. If you want
you, once you do that, right, you're never getting back. The
guys who are out there
trying to play that best. It's scary out of that start.
Put in the back up, we're trying to lose the game, right?
You you undermine your culture, you poisoned the point where
you cannot resuscitate. Exactly, right. That's what
a lot of coaches will tell you exactly. Right. One last thing
to and,
you know, I've said this before on the show, I think it was
2019 at the league meetings in March in Arizona. Yeah, I was
talking to Jeffrey Lurie at that cocktail party. I do on
Monday night. Yeah, and Steven Ross Saunders up
and the topic comes up,
generally about
Improving your draft standing. Hmm. Through through not so
I used. Are you part of this conversation? Well, now that
it's over. I want, I can't be subpoenaed
but I remember. Yeah,
vividly. Stephen Ross saying,
sometimes you just got to take your lumps
and I've said it before on this show are elsewhere.
Sometimes you just got to take your lumps
and
and that was when to uh,
was the tar eyes, Jen. That's the irony, I know this. That
was all he talked about his hip right. Joe burrow becomes.
Stephen Ross is Fascination. Remember date.
Tried to get the Bangles to trade out of the top spot in
the Bengals, just wouldn't even engaged conversation. And then
they take two instead of Justin Herbert. So
I guess you could say
that Stephen Ross. Ultimately got what he deserved because he
didn't get Justin Herbert. But he should have been punished
for attempted tanking
and the reason he wasn't is it, strengthens Brown Flores as
lawsuit if he is and on top of that, it exposes a box full of
Pandora,
as it relates to this world of legalized gay. Yeah. Only does,
but, you know, I don't know. You know, it's funny to where
I just look at like, Steven Ross and his comment and then
everything he said yesterday, which didn't make sense either.