Dolphins Rumors: Tom Brady Pursuit, Throwing Games Alleged In Brian Flores' Lawsuit

In his lawsuit that alleges racial discrimination by the NFL and three teams, Brian Flores has accused Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross of offering to pay him $100,000 for every loss in the 2019 season. The former Dolphins coach also said Ross wanted him to violate NFL rules by tampering with a quarterback that was under contract with another team.

Ross allegedly tried to pressure Flores to violate NFL rules to recruit the quarterback. When the coach refused, Ross attempted to set up a meeting between Flores and the player on a yacht. The quarterback in question was Tom Brady, according to Joe Schad of the Miami Beach Post.

Flores believes he fell out of favor with Ross because he declined to intentionally lose games to improve the team's draft position and pursue another quarterback. The Dolphins fired Flores at the end of the 2021 season, a stunning move after he led Miami to consecutive winning seasons.

Brian Flores admires and respects Tom Brady but didn’t want to tamper and also didn’t think it was the right time to recruit Brady considering the status of the Dolphins’ rebuild, which was intended to be a long-term plan, per source.
— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) February 1, 2022

The rumor in Miami has long been that Brady would have picked the Dolphins over the Buccaneers if not for Brian Flores being the Dolphins’ coach. This could help explain why. https://t.co/Yollium7w4
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) February 1, 2022

As a rookie head coach in 2019, Flores pushed the Dolphins to a 5-11 record. Projected to be the worst team in the NFL, Miami overachieved and finished with a better record than four other teams.

"This game has done a lot for me," Flores said on "CBS Mornings" about being asked to lose games on purpose. "This game changed my life. I wouldn't stand for it. I think it hurt my standing with the organization and that's why I was fired."

A bombshell lawsuit accuses the NFL of racism in hiring coaches — and now the former coach who filed it is speaking out for the first time on #CBSMornings.

Brian Flores says, “It’s hard to speak out…but this is bigger than football. This is bigger than coaching.” pic.twitter.com/hI92p8rvEd
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) February 2, 2022

The Dolphins took quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Joe Burrow was taken by the Cincinnati Bengals with the top overall selection.

In March 2020, Brady left the New England Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency. It was reported that Miami had interest in signing the future Hall of Famer.

Brady won his fifth Super Bowl MVP award in his first season with the Bucs. The Dolphins went 10-6 in the 2020 season, but missed the playoffs with Tagovailoa and Ryan Fitzpatrick splitting time under center.

Flores became the first Dolphins coach in 18 years to have a winning record in back-to-back years.