The integrity of the NFL has been thrown into serious question this week, as Brian Flores' bombshell lawsuit against the league alleges that, back in 2019, Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him $100,000 for every loss, in an effort to obtain better draft picks. Flores, who had just taken over as head coach, failed to comply, and the Dolphins finished 5-11 with the fifth pick.
In response to the lawsuit, Ross issued a statement on Wednesday, saying in part, "I take great personal exception to these malicious attacks, and the truth must be known. His allegations are false, malicious and defamatory." To make matters even worse for the league, former NFL head coach Hue Jackson has also accused the Cleveland Browns of incentivized losing during his first two years with the team (2016-17). The Browns have refuted Jackson's claims.
"If you're not there to win, you need to go somewhere else. Because you're robbing everybody," JR said during the JR SportBrief show on Thursday night. "And so the NFL needs to be proactive. Forget the investigation. The fact that it's even alleged, and you even have owners saying, 'Oh, no, I'm not trying to lose,' that's enough for the NFL to try to be proactive... What difference does it make, year over year, if you're not guaranteed the No. 1 slot?
"What's the difference between one, two, and three? I think [a draft lottery] does even the odds. The NBA does it. The NHL does it. The NFL can do it too. They don't need to hand the No. 1 pick to the absolute worst team, especially if there are now reasonable allegations of teams saying, 'We are trying to suck so we can get better in the future.' The NFL can be proactive. I certainly think [a lottery] is one way to prevent, or at least disincentivize, tanking."
JR's complete thoughts on tanking and incentivized losing in the NFL can be accessed in the audio player above. Additional information and details about Flores' lawsuit can be found here.
You can follow the JR SportBrief show on Twitter @JRSportBrief and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.