The Roquan Smith situation has become incredibly awkward over the last week. After Smith formally requested to be traded by the Bears, there was someone contacting NFL teams to gauge interest in a trade.
It wouldn’t normally be a problem for someone with a certified agent. But Smith doesn’t have an agent, which would mean any contact by an NFL team would be considered tampering.
The NFL Management Council sent out a memo to NFL teams warning of a non-NFLPA certified agent by the name of “Saint Omni” contacting teams on Smith’s behalf.
Here’s the statement from the NFL:
“The NFLPA has informed us that a person by the name of Saint Omni, who is not an NFLPA certified agent, is contacting Clubs and indicating that he is representing Roquan Smith, who is under contract to the Chicago Bears. Mr. Omni is prohibited from negotiating Player Contracts or discussing potential trades on behalf of any NFL player or prospective player or assisting in or advising with respect to such negotiations.”
The NFL is threatening disciplinary action for tampering violations and reminding teams about the rules involving trade talks.
Meanwhile, Bears general manager Ryan Poles said his intentions remain to sign Smith to a contract extension. Although he’ll ultimately do what’s best for the team.
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