What if Tom Brady's return to the NFL happens in the owner's box?
There is a scenario in which Brady could become minority owner of the Dolphins, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk. It would all depend on the status of majority owner Stephen Ross, who's currently being investigated following Brian Flores' claims that he offered him $100,000 per loss in 2019.
Flores is suing the NFL and three teams, including the Dolphins, for alleged racist hiring practices. Miami fired Flores this year.
So how does Brady factor into this? Florio writes there's a "sense" around the NFL that Flores' bribery claim will be "corroborated." While that alone wouldn't force Ross to sell the team, it's likely he would face pressure from the league office and other owners.
There's also the possibility he could be prosecuted under the federal Sports Bribery Act.
If Ross sells, the buyer would be Bruce Beal, a New York real estate executive who's worked with Ross for years. Beal has owned a contractual right to purchase the Dolphins since 2016, when Ross devised his league-mandated succession plan.
Beal is the Dolphins' vice chairman and partner, and apparently enjoys a connection to Brady. He and Gisele attended Beal's Super Bowl party in January 2020, the Miami Sun-Sentinel reported at the time.
"There's a lingering belief that Beal's acquisition of the Dolphins would be followed by Beal selling a sliver of it to Brady," Florio writes.
Florio first surfaced the idea in 2020.
We know Brady has the cash to buy a stake in an NFL team: he retired as the highest-earning player in league history. The move would give Brady additional cache among the billionaire moguls whom he cherishes.
But it would also prohibit Brady from playing for another club. Then again, Tua Tagovailoa isn't exactly entrenched as the Dolphins' starting quarterback, despite awkward words of encouragement from new coach Mike McDaniel.
How about Brady as owner and quarterback? Now we're talking, assuming Brady could handle playing in South Florida. His 12 losses to Miami are the most against any NFL opponent.
