News: No Change on Tampering
The NFL owners were meeting in Boston this week, and one of the most interesting (though table) rule changes discussed was about the start of free agency. Whereas there is an anti-tampering “cold” start at midnight the day of, this rule is widely broken by agents and GMs, and the league was discussing adding a two day window for initial dialogue (though no allowance for visits) at the start of free agency.
Rich McKay, co-chairman of the competition committee, said owners wanted to vet the issue with the football staff to see if a window would be practical, although Commissioner Roger Goodell said there was a chance the rules could change in the future.
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The current rule requires that a free agent negotiate only with his current team before free agency begins. That rule has been widely broken, with the league looking away, as agents head to the scouting combine in Indianapolis, often with the intent to talk with the assembled general managers about their clients. But there has been some sentiment among owners that the current rule should just be more strenuously enforced.
So since there was no change made now, it means that there won’t be a chance for the league to change the rule before the start of free agency. This then means that the league must abide by the current set of rules, and must also beware that more tampering charges might be filed by teams or the league office.
