Was Tua Tagovailoa Kind Of Dealt Ricochet Shot In Brian Flores’ Lawsuit?

Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores on Tuesday revealed a multi-faceted lawsuit against the National Football League and its 32 teams while specifically noting three franchises who played various roles.

The allegations against the New York Giants and Denver Broncos alleged that Flores was a victim of racial discrimination while that against the Dolphins was a bit different in nature. Flores alleged that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross both tried to get Flores to “tank,” or purposely lose football games in the 2019 season, for a better draft pick and tried to illegally recruit a quarterback despite it being against the league’s rules.

While sifting through the lawsuit, admittedly a minor footnote in the nearly 60-page document, seems to depict how Ross was forced to settle for Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

Ross wanted Flores to lose games — allegedly offering Flores $100,000 for each loss — in order for the organization to get the No. 1 draft pick. LSU quarterback Joe Burrow ended up being selected first overall by the Cincinnati Bengals. The Dolphins, due to the fact Flores wouldn’t lose games on purpose, missed out on the top pick and went on to have the No. 5 overall selection, which the franchise used on Tagovailoa.

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An additional aspect is the fact that Ross, while knowing the Dolphins possessed that No. 5 overall pick in that draft, still wanted Flores to illegally tamper with a “prominent” NFL quarterback the offseason after the 2019 season. That quarterback reportedly turned out to be Tom Brady, who was set to become a free agent before that 2020 campaign, leaving the New England Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The lawsuit alleges that Ross even tried to secretly set up a meeting with Brady, Flores and himself with the signal-caller conveniently entering a marina where Flores and Ross were meeting. Upon finding out what was taking place, the lawsuit states that Flores immediately left the situation.

Flores believes that unwillingness to tamper with Brady essentially caused friction in his relation with Ross, and even led to him being fired this past offseason, the lawsuit states.

All told, it’s tough to view Tagovailoa as the signal-caller that Ross really wanted in the first place. Based on these two examples in the lawsuit, it’s fair to think the Alabama product was at least third in the mind of the Miami owners.

Tagovailoa’s standing on the Dolphins hasn’t exactly been on sturdy ground since his arrival in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Dolphins reportedly were interested in Deshaun Watson prior to Flores’ firing, too. But Flores’ lawsuit, while involving Ross, serves as the latest indication that perhaps the Dolphins are not all-in on Tagovailoa.

The Dolphins — much like the NFL — have denied all allegations.