ESPN analyst Domonique Foxworth says that the Miami Dolphins obvious tanking job in 2019, is “morally reprehensible.”
“It’s unethical and morally reprehensible as far as I’m concerned,” Foxworth said on ESPN this week.
Foxworth, a former NFL player and NFLPA president, feels the Dolphins’ plan isn’t “fair” to their current roster.
“The expectation is once you get to the NFL, the team will do the very best they can do to make sure you succeed,” Foxworth said. “[The Dolphins] are not doing this there and that’s not fair.”
The Dolphins have perhaps the worst roster in the NFL, and lost to the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots by a combined score of 102-10.
They’re not only clearly looking to land the #1 pick of the 2020 draft, but also have acquired myriad other high draft picks by recently trading away key starters, like left tackle Laremy Tunsil, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and wide receiver Kenny Stills. Miami’s management clearly has an eye toward the future, and winning this season perhaps isn’t a priority, and this bothers Foxworth.
“We understand how dangerous football is as a game,” Foxworth said. “Putting guys out there in this type of danger is a problem. You can put that aside. As an employer you have an obligation to provide as safe a working environment as you can and also provide people an opportunity to succeed. These young men have committed their lives to getting to the NFL.”
Foxworth feels what Miami’s management is doing is “selfish.”
“You know who’s going to benefit from them? The owner, general manager, and maybe the potential future coach,” Foxworth said. “[The current players] aren’t going to benefit from it. These guys are going to be out of the league having their careers ruined by a selfish team like the Dolphins.”
The general manager, Chris Grier, wants to build his team the right way, and stay away from quick fixes that haven’t worked in the past.
“We talked about building a team that would win and compete for championships for a long time, instead of being in it one year and falling back for two or three,” Grier said.
Grier feels the Dolphins will be “in a good place shortly.”
“I don’t know if you put a time frame on [when they will be a Super Bowl contender],” Grier said. “For us, we’ve positioned ourselves to where the organization will be in a good place shortly.”
Not only do the Dolphins have a truckload of high draft picks coming up, they’re also projected to have $130 million to spend in 2020 free agency, and Grier says they will be “aggressive.”
Grier admitted they aren’t built to compete for a playoff spot right now.
“We know the way the team is built right now, we are not going to win a Super Bowl, much less hard to compete for a playoff spot,” Grier said. “[The goal is to be a] long-term winner and bring a championship to South Florida.”
But Foxworth doesn’t like how they’re handling the 2019 season, and feels it’s an injustice to their current players.
“These [Dolphins players] are physically paying the price,” Foxworth said. “These guys are putting bad film on tape because they’re not trying to win and it’s going to shorten their careers.”
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