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Is it more likely that Tom Brady returns to the NFL as a part-owner than as a player?
While there's been plenty of speculation about a potential Brady comeback following his Feb. 1 retirement announcement, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio laid out an interesting scenario in which the 44-year-old could purchase a minority stake in his former AFC East rival, the Miami Dolphins.
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is currently under investigation after former Miami head coach Brian Flores alleged that Ross encouraged him to deliberately lose games in 2019 by offering him $100,000 per loss.
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If the investigation supports Flores' allegations, Ross could be forced to sell the team, and Florio identifies Dolphins vice chairman and partner Bruce Beal -- who is also president and partner of Ross' real estate conglomerate, Related Companies -- as the next in line to succeed Ross.
"Beal has held the right to purchase the team since 2016," Florio notes.
And if Beal takes over for Ross, it sounds like Brady may get involved in the team's ownership.
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"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 wrote.
Back in Feb. 2020, Florio cited an "unnamed source" who "could not rule out" Brady becoming a minority owner of the Dolphins one day, and it appears that possibility would increase if Beal became the principal owner. (It's unclear what connection Beal and Brady have, but Brady and his wife, Gisele Bundchen, did attend Beal's Super Bowl party on Jan. 31, 2020, per the Miami Sun-Sentinel.)
Brady buying a stake in the Dolphins would be a fascinating development considering he competed against Miami for two decades while with the New England Patriots. The seven-time Super Bowl champion had his fair share of problems versus the Dolphins, too: His 12 losses to Miami (24-12 overall record) and 27 interceptions in those games are his most against any NFL opponent.
So, if Brady ends up purchasing part of the Dolphins, perhaps his mantra will be, "If you can't beat 'em, buy 'em."