Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa insists the team are ‘all in’ with him after Tom Brady tampering
Dolphin quarterback Tua Tagovailoa insists team is ‘all in’ with him after Miami faced huge penalties for messing with Tom Brady
- The NFL has linked the Dolphins two future draft picks to tampering allegations
- Miami was investigated for ‘impermissible communication’ with Tom Brady
- In between the alleged communications, Tua Tagovailoa was selected by Miami
- The Dolphins quarterback claimed he could not speak on the matter on Wednesday
Dolphin quarterback Tua Tagovailoa insisted his teammates be “all in” with him after the NFL team was disciplined over tampering charges.
The penalty, which Miami has docked the first round of 2023 and the third round of 2024, came after a six-month investigation into the club’s “impermissible communication” with Tom Brady and now former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton. 2019 and 2022, according to the NFL.
In between the Dolphins’ illegal communications with Brady, Tagovailoa was selected by Miami as the No. 5 pick in the 2020 NFL drawing.
Dolphin quarterback Tua Tagovailoa insisted his teammates be ‘all in’ with him after NFL team was disciplined over accusations of ‘impermissible communication’ with Tom Brady
The penalty stems from a six-month investigation into events between 2019 and 2022, in which the team had “impermissible communication” with both Brady (pictured) and then-Saints coach Sean Payton
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Tagovailoa revealed that he first discovered the investigation’s findings when he entered the locker room on Tuesday, according to Illustrated Sports.
“I mean, I don’t know all the details, except what was shown on TV… That something happened to Brady. I mean, I don’t know all the details, I don’t even know what happened,” Tagovailoa said via NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe.
“I’ve had to talk to a few guys to find out what was going on and everyone’s wondering the same thing, so it’s not certain.”
Owner Stephen Ross was discovered illegally assessing blockbuster options at quarterback
Tagovailoa insisted he had the support of the team and claimed he couldn’t comment
He was asked if he had spoken to team leaders about his position, as the result of the investigation appeared to suggest that the dolphins had been in communication with Brady before and after Tagovailoa was summoned.
However, the quarterback claimed he could not speak about what happened before joining the franchise and insisted that he had the support of the team.
“I remember coming in in 2020. So whatever happened in 2019, I can’t even talk about that,” he said.
“I was here in 2020 and I’m still here. I am blessed to be here. If it has to do with the support of the team, then I think the team is all-in with me.”
The contact with Brady appeared to have taken place during the 2019 and post-season, when he played with the New England Patriots, and during and after the 2021 season, when he was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In Brady’s case, the alleged discussions centered on the future Hall of Famer becoming a limited partner to the team, according to the NFL’s press release.
Contact with Payton was through his agent Don Yee in January 2022, the league said. Yee is also Brady’s agent.
The investigation also looked at claims that the team deliberately “tanked up” during the 2019 season to improve its concept position in the 2020 design.
According to the NFL, the Dolphins have not intentionally lost games, but Ross has stated several times throughout the season that the team’s draft position should take precedence over the direct win-loss record.
The investigation also found that an alleged $100,000 offer from Ross to then-head coach Brian Flores to lose matches was not serious.
Owner Ross has been fined $1.5 million, banned from all competition commissions indefinitely and suspended from being at the Dolphins facility until October 17.