Why Even Fine? What Am I Missing?
So, my questions are:
Why even fine them? They'll most likely get it all or partially refunded.
Wouldn't some players think of this like a "Get Out of Jail Free" card? They can break one of these rules on purpose knowing they'll most likely get their fine amount refunded. (Even if their appeal fails!) Is this going to actually cause more violations?
What am I missing?
New fine reimbursement system would have saved players $1.7 million annually in recent years
At a time when the NFL would love to do a comprehensive deal with the NFL Players Association on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that would expand the regular season to 18 games (and that would allow up to 16 international games per season), the NFL and the NFLPA found a way to get another important piece of business done.
The new system regarding the enforcement of player-safety rules allows for players to recover half, or all, of the fine money paid for a violation of on-field rules. On Wednesday, the NFLPA informed players that the new system would have resulted in an average total refund of roughly $1.7 million per year “in recent years.”
Here’s how it works. For the five specific rules that trigger a suspension for three violations (hip-drop tackles, horse-collar tackles, launching, hits on defenseless players and blindside blocks), a player with only one violation in a given season gets 50 percent of the fine money back at the end of the year.
While certain violations result in no refund (offenses against game officials, fighting, throwing a punch, forearm, or kick, and violent gestures), a single violation as to all other on-field rules (e.g., facemask) results in a 100-percent refund.
In 2024 and 2025, roughly 50 players per year would have gotten a 50-percent refund, and roughly 200 players per year would have gotten a 100-percent refund.
There’s a very important caveat as to eligibility for a refund. The player must have appealed the fine in order to get the money. Therefore, all fines should be appealed — even if the player has no real basis for the appeal.
Moving forward, that’s the thing for all players and agents to remember. Every fine must be appealed. Then, potentially, all or half of the money will be refunded, even if the appeal fails.
LIVE WELL ~ LOVE MUCH ~ LAUGH OFTEN
Breaking down the new formula for safety-rule suspensions
The NFL and NFL Players Association have adopted a new formula that calls for a one-game suspension when a player commits three violations of the same specific safety rule.
The system potentially carries violations over from one year to the next, for the purposes of identifying the third offense as to five specific (hip-drop tackles, horse-collar tackles, launching, hits on defenseless players, and blindside blocks).
All players enter the year with a clean slate, as to all on-field violations. (Previously, violations remained relevant to determining enhanced discipline for 34 regular-season games.)
If a player has only one violation in a given season, he enters the next year with a clean slate.
If a player has two violations in the same year, one violation carries over to the next season. If there is no violation in the next season, he resets to zero for the following year. (If he has one violation in the second season, he’ll carry one violation into the third year.)
If a player has three violations, he receives a one-game suspension. He’ll be suspended for each additional violation that same year.
He’ll then carry two violations into the next year. This means that he remains on the brink of another suspension for the next full season after the season in which he was suspended. If he has no violations in the next season, he resets to zero for the following year.
It’s a little confusing, but the teams will surely be keeping close track of each player’s status as to the five categories of infractions that can lead to a suspension. The media also will be keeping tabs on the various violations, so that it will be generally known if/when a player is facing a third strike — and a suspension.
As noted last night, the new formula would have resulted in only one suspension in 2024 and one in 2025. And that was without the threat of a suspension. Ideally, those players who get to two violations of any of the five rules will know the consequences of a third one — and avoid committing it at all costs.
LIVE WELL ~ LOVE MUCH ~ LAUGH OFTEN
I think the fines are refunded as an incentive to reward the players that actually avoid this behavior in the future. Someone who accumulates multiple fines doesn't get the refund, so the penalty hits harder.
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