“If the NFL investigates, it will make Flores’ case stronger”: The league faces itself in a dilemma in the investigation against Dolphins owner Stephen Ross
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Brian Flores and Stephen Ross
The former Head Coach of the Miami Dolphins, Brian Flores sued the team’s owner Stephen Ross nearly 6 months ago. He accused the owner of offering him nearly $100,000 per loss that the team goes through the 2019 season. The owner wants his team to tank so that they could secure the first pick in the 2020 draft. The league announced that it will be looking into this matter and investigating it seriously.
This was six months ago and to date, the investigation is still pending and it is nowhere close to being resolved. The league has stated that there is “no update” on the situation. Commissioner Roger Goodell echoed the same statement during his recent presser. The biggest question that surfaces here are why is this taking so long, is it really that hard for the league to carry out a simple investigation?
If the NFL finds Stephen Ross guilty, they will be helping in making Brian Flores’ case stronger
Mary Jo White was hired to handle this probe. Brian Flores has been cooperative with the entire process from the start. What remains is for Stephen Ross to be interviewed along with other top executives and the GM. The Flores lawsuit is the biggest problem that the league is faced with.
When the former HC came forward initially, the cash for losing allegation was baseless as there was not much evidence of it, however, the amended complaint alleged that Brian Flores was fired because he exposed the team’s owner.
Here’s the issue now, if the league does opt to investigate Ross and conclude that he did it, the NFL will be helping Flores make his case and they would not want to do that under any circumstances. There is one way that the league can do to make sure this legal hurdle will go away, by shifting the case to its own court. If the motion to compel arbitration comes through, in that case, if the league finds out Ross did it, it will not matter as much because the NFL controls the arbitration and the outcome.
The league seems to be adopting a wait-and-watch approach, for now, however, it could take months before we reach a final decision on this matter and if Flores will go to arbitration. The league seems to have a rather confusing and messy punishment policy. Calvin Ridley who just placed a $1,200 bet on his own team got suspended for an entire year while Deshaun Watson who faced 20+ lawsuits accusing him of misconduct stands to face a 6-8 game suspension. In this case, as well, the league seems to look for an outcome that will neither ruin its image nor get Stephen Ross into a stage where he will be forced to leave his ownership role.
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Sumedh Joshi
(2196 Articles Published)