Falcons lose 5th rounder, fined $250k

[1VikesFan]

Lot better than nothing...

Not much, bullshit response by the league

[pattersaur]

That’s all they did?! Reports made it sound like they tampered well before free agency started. All that talk about the Falcons committing some egregious act was just nonsense then. It’s one thing to tamper while an original team is still  negotiating before free agency and completely another after the window opens.

The crime was miniscule. The reporting on this was laughable.

Media outlets had the same exact info and were speculating just like we all did. Everyone chose what they wanted to believe. I'm not sure how ThE mEdIa is at fault here.

[Kentis]

With this decision the league sent a clear message on tampering, “go right ahead!” 

[medaille]

With this decision the league sent a clear message on tampering, “go right ahead!” 

Everybody already is tampering.  It has to be pretty egregious for a team to be punished.  If Cousins didn't verbally say it out loud at a press conference, there would have been no punishments at all.  He basically forced the leagues hand on the matter.

[comet52]

This is no surprise. Teams can tamper from the combine to f.a. without consequence. You don't think the Vikings had 3 guys signed sealed and delivered by 2pm on the first day of "legal" tampering because they woke up that morning and made first contact with their agents, do you? If you do, you should start buying investment grade Florida swampland, you'll make a killing I promise!

As long as you tamper during the above period with only pending free agents, nothing happens. Every team does it. It's talking out loud about it like dum-dum Kirk did that nets you a (small) penalty. Or egregiously tampering outside that window with a player under contract to another team (Miami, Brady) that gets you a real penalty.

That's all, that's how it works, until the NFL decides otherwise. If you feel aggrieved about what came down today, well my advice is don't get emotionally invested in fantasy outcomes that have no basis in reality, that are bullshit memes peddled by internet shit-mongers like Mike Florio. See the reality for what it is.

[purplefaithful]

The biggest dumbasz tamperer ever was Glen Taylor...

[JimmyinSD]

They should just get rid of the start of free agency and tampering all together... if a team wants a player, go talk to them anytime.

[MAD GAINZ]

That’s all they did?! Reports made it sound like they tampered well before free agency started. All that talk about the Falcons committing some egregious act was just nonsense then. It’s one thing to tamper while an original team is still  negotiating before free agency and completely another after the window opens.

The crime was miniscule. The reporting on this was laughable.

What do you mean that's all they did?  The NFL was pretty vague on details saying it was for "administrative" infractions.  We still don't know exactly what the Falcons did or didn't do and we likely never will.  But they DID tamper to some degree, hence the loss of the draft pick and fines to the team.

What's laughable is you going scorched earth on the Falcons when this first came out... to blaming the media for duping you when you were inferring all kinds of things from Kirk's initial press conference and the reporting afterwards.  Do you think Atlanta wasn't guilty now?

[medaille]

They should just get rid of the start of free agency and tampering all together... if a team wants a player,  go talk to them anytime.

I think tampering should still be a thing up until the end of the Super Bowl.  In fact I think that teams shouldn’t be allowed to attempt to hire any coaches from other teams in the league until after the Super Bowl, which I think is just as bad.  You shouldn’t be trying to win a championship, while at the same time planning interviews for your next gig.  Once the Super Bowl is over, or maybe a week after the Super Bowl if there needs to be some administrative tasks for teams to close the season out, the league year should end.  The free agents have already cleaned their lockers out, left the building, went home, etc.
 
However after the Super Bowl, I don’t think there’s really a point in enforcing tampering or having it be a thing.  No same person is going to resign with their own team at a bargain, when they could just wait a month and a half and likely get a better offer.  The reason to sign early is because you are afraid of getting injured and want to lock in that guaranteed money, but your risk of getting injured while you are relaxing and recovering from the season is pretty minimal.