NFL Punishes Chiefs for Violating Anti-Tampering Policy: Comments and Reaction

The Kansas City Chiefs have lost two draft picks after the NFL ruled the team violated anti-tampering laws with free-agent wide receiver Jeremy Maclin last year.

Per Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports, the Chiefs will lose their third-round pick this year and a sixth-round pick in 2017 as punishment.

ESPN.com's Mike Rodak tweeted out the official press release announcing the Chiefs' punishment for tampering with Maclin:

Per Lindsay Jones of USA Today, the league fined the Chiefs $250,000, head coach Andy Reid $75,000 and general manager John Dorsey $25,000 for having "illegal contact" with Maclin while he was still with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt released an official statement on the punishment as well as a potential appeal through the team's official website:

"

Today we were informed by the National Football League that our club will be disciplined for an infraction during the 2015 free agency negotiating period.

While we respect Commissioner Goodell and the process, we believe that the penalties proposed in this case are inconsistent with discipline enforced in similar matters—particularly given the league's inconsistent communication of its policies on contact with potential free agents.

As an organization, we take great care to conduct ourselves with integrity and operate within the guidelines of the NFL. We have been fully cooperative and transparent with the league in this matter, and we are disappointed with the league’s decision. I want to make it clear that I fully support the leadership of both Coach Reid and John Dorsey. We will continue to explore our options under the appeal process.

"

Garafolo noted the NFL didn't have an issue with the Chiefs working out a deal to sign Maclin before free agency officially began last year, but that members of the front office and Reid contacted him directly.

Free-agent contracts in the NFL are allowed to be worked out 48 hours before the new league year begins in what is known as the "tampering period." For example, that's why reports of deals in the last two days have come flooding out prior to them becoming official on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET.

However, per an official NFL memo obtained by NFL Network's Albert Breer (h/t NFL.com's Marc Sessler) in 2013, it's "impermissible for a club to enter into an agreement of any kind" for a free agent before the new league year begins.

Those rules changed three days ago, with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk noting the NFL sent a new memo around to all 32 teams that stated they "may negotiate all aspects of an NFL Player Contract with the certified agent of any prospective [unrestricted free agent]."

ESPN.com's Chris Mortensen reported on March 9, 2015, that Maclin agreed to a deal that ESPN's Adam Schefter noted was going to be worth $11 million per season. Two days later, Maclin officially signed a contract for five years and $55 million.

Reid and Maclin had a long-standing relationship from their time in Philadelphia. Reid drafted Maclin with the 19th overall pick in 2009. The receiver spent five seasons with the Eagles before going to Kansas City last year.