The NFL has dropped the hammer on the Miami Dolphins over tampering allegations related to Tom Brady and Sean Payton. The Dolphins tampered with Brady in 2019 and 2020 and again this past season and offseason when they tried to bring Brady and Payton to South Florida, the league found.

The Dolphins, according to the league’s findings, communicated with Brady and Payton, and at times their agents, without going through the proper channels of contacting the other franchises, such as the New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints.

The NFL is docking the Dolphins 2 draft picks and suspending owner Stephen Ross as a result. The Dolphins will forfeit a first-round pick in 2023 and a fourth-round pick in 2024 and Ross is suspended until Oct. 17, 2022. Ross is also fined $1.5 million, and along with Bruce Beal, the Dolphins’ vice chairman and limited partner, that the suspension means Ross cannot represent the Dolphins at NFL meetings, and cannot be at the Dolphins’ facility. Beal is suspended for the 2022 season.