Dolphins Cleared In Suh Tampering Case

While the world’s attention is fixed on the punishment doled out to the Patriots for their scandal, the Dolphins have been cleared of wrongdoing in their own controversy. The NFL has determined that the Dolphins did not violate tampering rules in their pursuit of Ndamukong Suh, Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald writes.

Suh officially signed his deal with Miami on March 11th, but the agreement was reported to be in place days earlier, which caused many to suspect that the two sides were negotiating before the permitted time. Of course, it’s well known that teams probably negotiate with players before the permissible period, but given Suh’s profile and the mammoth six-year, $114MM contract, the league office was less than pleased with the prospect of Miami breaking the rules. However, the Dolphins have been reviewed and it was found that no rules were broken and no sanctions will be levied against them.

The day Suh signed, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross insisted that his team broke no rules, and he has been proven right.

I’m confident of that,” Ross said, as Beasley recounts. “I certainly wanted to talk to [Suh] but I knew I couldn’t, and we didn’t.

Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) ranked the former second overall pick among the NFL’s top four defensive tackles in each of the last three seasons. By PFF’s count, Suh racked up 72 total quarterback pressures in 2013, well ahead of any other DT besides Gerald McCoy, and he generated 57 quarterback pressures in 2014, tops in the league among defensive tackles.

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