Between the Lines: Showtime

Throughout the Roger Goodell era as the league’s commissioner, the NFL has seen unprecedented heights in a variety of areas, such as league revenue, and throughout that same time period, public perception of the league has been a main concern for the NFL.  From applying pressure on the likes of ESPN to shutdown their hit show “Playmakers” in the early 2000s, to trying to pacify the social impact of movies like “Concussion”, and others.  On the surface, the NFL portrays the league as being at the forefront of innovation in reducing and eliminating injuries like concussions from the game, but a deeper dive into the subject seems to paint a different portrait.

In 2023, a class-action lawsuit was filed against the league for “unscrupulous tactics” in reference to former players being denied medical benefits.  Odd that a league that invests millions into improving equipment and awareness surrounding head-related injuries would have such an issue arise, but unfortunately, this is not the only instance of improprieties occurring with medical issues.  Roger Goodell would like the public to believe that player safety was the foremost driving force behind policy changes, but sadly that is not the case.  The league is a business, and like most businesses, the driving force behind everything is money.  As we see a new league year beginning, that means the free agency period is upon us, or as the league calls it, the “legal tampering period.”

The “legal tampering period” is a short stretch of time where teams are allowed to negotiate with players designated to be released by their current clubs.  While these players are technically still under contract, this period of time allows teams to negotiate deals that can be agreed to in principle but cannot officially be signed until the “legal tampering period” is over.  This window was implicated in 2013 to cut down on illegal tampering by teams, meaning that while players were still under contract with their current team, other teams in the league would attempt to lure away players with promises and backroom deals.  In theory, the idea of a “legal tampering period” does make sense, but that is thwarted by the speedy nature in which many of these deals are completed. 

In what seems to be a yearly cycle, there are news reports of deals being agreed to by players mere hours or less after the opening of the legal tampering window. This indicates that talks and negotiations were already occurring before the legal tampering period began.  This also allows teams to alter their potential negotiations as reports of other teams’ deals become public knowledge. Due to the fact that no deal can be completely finalized during this window means that teams can still make offers to a player even after they have agreed to a deal.  

In recent years, we have heard multiple accounts of a team or owner breaching the legal tampering period, and often little to nothing is done by the league.  Tom Brady was at the center of one of these tales during his exit from the Patriots, with attempts made by the owner of the Miami Dolphins to bring him to South Beach, one of the few instances where a team faced repercussions for tampering with a player.  Ironically, not a peep was said when current-day minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, Tom Brady, accidentally bumped into pending free agent Matthew Stafford at a ski resort in Montana before the “legal tampering period” had begun. 

To believe this was an accident would be outright foolish, the minority-owner of a team in desperate need of a quarterback bumping into what was expected to be the top free agent quarterback on the market, and after the news that Stafford was resigning with the Los Angeles Rams, the Raiders make a trade for quarterback Geno Smith.  It is highly unlikely that any punishment or even investigation into the matter will occur. 

Roger Goodell and the league would have you believe that matters like illegal tampering never occur, and common sense would tell you otherwise.  The league would have you believe that Roger Goodell serves the players of the league, but the truth is the position of commissioner exists to serve the owners.  With team evaluations from a monetary perspective at all-time highs, it is unlikely that any owner wants Roger Goodell removed from the position of commissioner.

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Derek Weatherly

Derek Weatherly is a co-host on Betting the NFL. He also has a YouTube channel called Backyard Action Media (@backyardactionmedia9741) where he discusses betting and sports news for multiple sports leagues.