Bill Belichick remained true to form in his response to the Dolphins’ tanking and tampering scandal — which included a hefty punishment by the NFL on Tuesday for tampering with his former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady.
“Yeah I’m not really worried about that,” Belichick said Wednesday when reporters asked about the situation at Patriots training camp.
“We’re just trying to have a good training camp.”
When asked if he “had any idea the Dolphins were tampering with [his] starting quarterback” in the 2019-20 season, Belichick replied: “Focused on training camp here. That’s all in the past.”
On Tuesday, the NFL suspended Dolphins owner Stephen Ross for the first six weeks of the 2022 season for tampering with Brady and former Saints coach Sean Payton — and hit Ross with a $1.5 million fine.
Bill Belichick on the field for Patriots training camp AP“The Dolphins had impermissible communications with quarterback Tom Brady in 2019-20, while he was under contract to the New England Patriots,” the league said in a statement, noting that those “detailed discussions” were conducted by Bruce Beal, the vice chairman and limited partner of the Dolphins.
“The Dolphins again had impermissible communications with both Mr. Brady and his agent [Don Yee] during and after the 2021 season, while he was under contract to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,” the league stated.
“Those discussions began no later than early December 2021 and focused on Mr. Brady becoming a limited partner in the Dolphins and possibly serving as a football executive, although at times they also included the possibility of his playing for the Dolphins. Both Messrs. Ross and Beal were active participants in these discussions.”
The Dolphins were found to have had contact with Tom Brady while he was still a member of the Patriots. Getty ImagesMary Jo White — the U.S Attorney and S.E.C. chairperson who was initially hired to investigate an allegation that Ross and the Dolphins tried to tank in 2019 in order to improve 2020 draft position — discovered that in January, the Dolphins had “impermissible communications” with Yee (who also serves as Payton agent) about having Payton become Miami’s head coach.
“Miami did not seek consent from New Orleans to have these discussions, which occurred before Coach Payton announced his decision to retire as head coach of the Saints” on Jan. 25, the statement said. “Following that announcement, Miami requested permission to speak to Coach Payton for the first time, which New Orleans declined to grant.”
As a result of the findings, the NFL also stripped the Dolphins of the team’s first-round pick in 2023, and its third-round selection in 2024. Additionally, Ross is barred from the team’s facility through Oct. 17, and he cannot represent the club at any team or league event. He is also barred from any league meetings before March 2023.
Beal also has been barred from all league meetings through the end of the year and fined $500,000.
“With regards to tampering, I strongly disagree with the conclusions and the punishment,” Ross said in a statement Tuesday. “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.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called the violations “unprecedented” in their scope and severity.
