PALM BEACH, Fla. — If the independent investigator looking into Brian Flores’ bribery allegations determines Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross did indeed offer Flores $100,000 per loss in the 2019 season, those findings will be made public, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said at a news conference at the league’s annual meetings on Tuesday.
Roger Goodell: No timetable for Stephen Ross investigation
The NFL has again tasked former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Mary Jo White with conducting a league investigation into a member organization. White, who led the NFL’s investigation into the Saints’ bounty scandal, is also looking into the Washington Commanders’ workplace misconduct scandal.
Now, she’s also been tasked with checking out Flores’ allegations that Ross tried to incentivize tanking in the Dolphins’ 2019 season with a $100,000 payout per loss.
When asked if he plans to meet with those involved, including Ross, Goodell replied:
“I’m not doing that investigation. Mary Jo White is doing that investigation. She will have our full support and the support of the team. She will make the determination on that. There is no timetable for her to bring that report. When we have it, we will certainly move forward.”
When asked about the value of making that report public, Goodell said, “On matters of integrity of the game, if we see something that’s a violation, we will certainly make that public.”
Earlier in the day, one of Ross’ fellow owners — the Falcons’ Arthur Blank — signaled that Ross’ fellow partners wouldn’t circle the wagons and sweep Flores’ accusations under the rug.
“The allegations, there probably couldn’t be anything more serious,” Blank told a small group of reporters, including USA TODAY Sports, on Tuesday. “Certainly, in the top layer of things you could be concerned about. I have no reason to know if that was true or not true. I know the league is taking it, Roger is taking it, and his partners are taking it very seriously. It does strike at the core of what we value — the integrity of the league, the integrity of the (NFL) shield,” Blank said. “We’ll see what comes up.”
