NFL Owners Meetings: Leveling the Playing Field

The NFL has decided to crack down on the cheaters.

Goodell Calls For Fairness During Free Agent Period

Ever wonder how players sign multi-year, blockbuster deals just minutes after the free-agent signing period begins?  

Wonder no more. 

Players, their agents, and teams have been using modern technology, league events and other means and venues to communicate to agree on deals well before the signing period.

To the naked eye, this is known as tampering.

The league has seen enough and would like to give all teams more of an opportunity to bid on eligible free agents. 

Right now, it appears there is a growing culture of backroom dealing going on. The league has received multiple tampering complaints and is making an attempt to eliminate this practice before it spirals out of control.    

Roger Goodell is seeking to adapt a moratorium on face-to-face meetings and other contact between a team and a player looking to switch clubs for the entire week preceeding the signing period.  This does not pertain to players looking to stay with their existing club. 

The moratorium would allow teams to contact players' agents beginning the week before the signing period begins. This will allow all teams interested in a player to have open conversations with agents, express their interest and hopefully avoid any tampering issues.   

Defenses Get Help From Technology

The league passed a new rule on Tuesday which will give defenses a leg up.  Radio devices will be placed in the helmet of a defensive players, just like the quarterbacks wear.

Only one active defensive player will be allowed to wear the device at a time.  

This should keep Bill Belichick and others up nights trying to devise new ways to steal signals.