While We’re Waiting… Offseason workouts, terrible basketball and the Anti-Jim Bollman
April 18, 2012Indians 9 Mariners 8: Showing some grit on the road!
April 18, 2012PFT is reporting that the Redskins and Cowboys will have their grievance heard in May. The grievance is over the issue of the NFL forcing them to take salary cap hits for player contracts they front-loaded in the uncapped year.
The league contends that the Cowboys and Redskins violated the “spirit” of the salary cap during the uncapped year of 2010, even though the NFL approved all contracts submitted by the teams containing payments in 2010. The circumstances suggest that the NFL tried to impose restrictions on spending that didn’t exist in the labor deal, which would constitute collusion in the uncapped year.
I will be watching this one anxiously. I’ve discussed the topic at length already. I am of the opinion that the league didn’t actually punish either of the teams. In the end, the NFL forced the clubs to account for salaries that they were obligated to pay out anyway in a different manner. A punishment in my mind would have been to dock them draft picks or force them to take an actual penalty amount above what they were forced to move.
The Redskins didn’t have to pay a dime more than what they had agreed to pay Albert Haynesworth. They just weren’t allowed to dump it all in one year like they tried to do. The only thing in my mind that could be made to look punitive is the fact that other teams have an extra $1.6 million in cap dollars that the Redskins and Cowboys don’t have available.
I keep coming out on the minority side in this issue if I am taking the pulse of the public correctly. So, we’ll see.
[Related: Explaining the cap penalties on the Redskins and Cowboys]
8 Comments
What happens if they get docked picks that they traded already?
What happens if they get docked picks that they traded already?
I’m with you Craig… it wasn’t much of a penalty if it was a penalty at all. The ‘skins and Cowboys are just angry because they’re losing cap space.
I likened the event to a CEO sending out a corporate directive 6 times over email. Sure, it’s not in the official corporate rulebook but if you ignore it, there’s likely to be repercussions and your company is well within its rights to enforce that directive by decreasing your salary or taking away paid time off or giving you a negative performance review.
I agree there was no real penalty. I also find it absurd that the league refuses to investigate the Williams/Redskin connection when a former player has already said that Williams told them “all fines will be covered,” which in itself is against league rules, let alone for injuring players.
I agree too. The only real penalties were the $1.6mil addition to other teams (except the Saints and Raiders) + the timing of the announcement (which sent both teams scrambling unless Goodell had let them know in advance of the rest of us which is possible).
What is there to investigate the players are gone the coaches are gone
They haven’t been docked any picks and there is no indication that they will be at any point.
You’re argument would be valid if the CEO sent out a directive that wasn’t policy and then they ended up approving what they did and then they punished them. Seems like your point although valid is missing the point that the league approved the deal. The real problem is (unless you’re a Giants fan) is that it was all Mara. He has Smith over a barrel with the salary cap amount and re-election and he didn’t go to the other teams heck he didn’t even get the rest of the owner executives to approve (as Jerah is a exec). The only real argument Mara has ironically enough (as it just happens to only target division foes, others were guilty of dumping or not spending and just pocketing the money, thats why Tampa didn’t vote at the owners meeting) is “competitive balance”. And that’s absurd as can be have you seen the redskins and cowboys the last couple of years, more like competitive incompetence. The notion of docking draft picks is even more absurd and was something that came out of arrogant Mara’s mouth to justify him having more power than anyone in the NFL. So, if you all are for Mara playing cop, judge, jury, and executioner that’s exactly what you are asking for. I personally don’t. I just wish this blog illustrated all of the facts and then made his entitled opinion.