Skip to content

The NFL Is Staying Serious About Tampering

Commissioner Roger Goodell walks to lunch during the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 06, 2022 in Sun Valley, Idaho. The world's most wealthy and powerful businesspeople from the media, finance, and technology will converge at the Sun Valley Resort this week for the exclusive conference.
(Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The NFL has been at the forefront of several controversies that have their own names.

There’s Deflategate, which involved quarterback Tom Brady’s alleged reduction of air pressure from footballs.

Also in the same category are Spygate, which involved the Patriots again, and Bountygate with the New Orleans Saints.

This time, the league tried to put down its iron fist on the alleged violations of tanking and tampering.

Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores claimed that team owner Stephen M. Ross offered him $100,000 for every defeat.

However, those allegations were proven to have no basis.

Then there are the tampering incidents with Brady and former Saints head coach Sean Payton.

They were proven guilty of that act, forcing them to lose two picks in the 2023 draft.

But the NFL isn’t done in terms of tampering, as NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero shared.

Pelissero tweeted, “So after docking the #Dolphins multiple draft picks, the NFL continues to threaten significant discipline for tampering violations and included this refresher on rules regarding trade talks with today’s memo.”

He included a picture of the memo released by the league regarding trade discussions.

The memo was dated August 15, 2022 and is addressed to general managers, head coaches, directors, players, and personnel.

Contents Of The Memo

It basically reminded everyone of the proper way of contacting players or their representatives in relation to trade discussions.

They can go through the old-fashioned letter in which a prospective club can only engage in trade talks once they have received written permission from the player’s employer club.

Likewise, it’s also not allowed for a player with an existing contract to initiate talks with another squad.

The NFL will implement these provisions for strict compliance.