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NFL Fanhouse: Report: Redskins Will Land Haynesworth; Is This Tampering? (M.E.T.)

Griff

By Griff
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Griff

Griff

Posted
Posted

This is laughable :rolleyes:

Report: Redskins Will Land Haynesworth; Is This Tampering?

Posted Feb 24th 2009 2:05 PM by Bruce Ciskie (author feed)

Filed Under: Redskins, Titans, AFC South, NFC East, NFL Free Agency

albert-haynesworth-titans.gif

NFL free agency doesn't begin until Friday. That said, anyone who has followed the NFL knows that there are likely to be some huge signings on the first day. Surely, you don't believe those contracts were negotiated in the few hours from the start of the signing period until the announcement of the signing, right?

I'm pretty sure that negotiating with a player under contract is generally considered "tampering". If I were Titans head coach Jeff Fisher or Tennessee general manager Mike Reinfeldt, I'd be looking very carefully at the news that broke Tuesday.

The Houston Chronicle's Lance Zierlein reports that Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth will join the Washington Redskins, once he's able to sign with them. That would be Friday.

Furthermore, Sports Illustrated's Peter King reported Monday that he expected Haynesworth to land in Washington.

I wonder why Redskins owner Dan Snyder was having dinner with the agent for Haynesworth, Chad Speck, at Morton's here Saturday night. I'm sure they were just talking about how it was colder here than at the Arctic Circle.

Hmm, tamper much?

Sure, everyone does it. Well, not everyone. A good number of NFL teams tamper, simply by talking to guys who aren't free agents yet. That's how so many signings are announced on the first day of free agency. Complicated contract negotiations don't get wrapped up in two hours unless the framework of a deal was already in place.

It's a pretty ballsy move by Snyder. It's one thing to dine with the agent of a guy like Haynesworth, who is set to make a bunch of money on the open market sometime soon. It's another thing to dine with said player when that player's team is coached by a prominent and long-time member of the NFL's Competition Committee.

Fisher has to say something, right? A big-name sportswriter reports that one of his players was potentially being tampered with, and there is already a report stating where that player will sign once he's actually a free agent.

Doesn't this justify an investigation?

I get that "everyone does it." Even if that statement isn't literally true, there are plenty of teams who engage in tampering. And it's not like the Titans made a serious push to re-sign Haynesworth this week. They've already taken their shot, and it was simply a matter of waiting to see what offers he got.

Perhaps the idea that "everyone does it" is the reason no one ever gets turned in for it (well, almost no one). If the Titans want to slam the Redskins and get an extra draft pick, they need to be prepared to get caught by the Redskins or someone else. Then again, if more teams got caught, perhaps fewer would try it, figuring it isn't worth losing a draft pick or two just to gain an advantage on a free agent.

That said, if the league wants its rules to be taken seriously, it's high time it makes more of an effort to enforce them.

http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2009/02/24/report-redskins-will-land-haynesworth-is-this-tampering/

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Ernie5

Ernie5

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This is the set-up. (1) write a piece about how Snyder met with Haynesworth's agent for dinner & that it's more or less a done deal that Haynesworth winds up here for $100 (where'd they get that number???), (2) let someone else whine about how that's tampering. Bad press for Redskins. Works every time. The depressing part is that Redskin fans not only believe it, but they want to believe it.

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Ernie5

Ernie5

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I don't see how this situation can't be tampering to be honest.

It's a foregone conclusion by multiple sources that we'll land Haynesworth in a few days. How can we not have tampered. I don't want us to get caught, but let's be real here...

No. It's a foregone conclusion to two sources: (1) PFT, who have never gotten anything right in the history of professional football and (2) Peter King (nothing needs to be said).

Next.

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Griff

Griff

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I do agree that everyone does it, but I think people love to hate the Redskins and Dan Snyder, it is just like my other beloved team the Yankees, people are always looking for a reason to slam them. If they hold us accountable for tampering than they need to follow around every owner and GM in the NFL and see who they meet and dine with. They would have to adopt a no association with agents policy. I think they would have to have solid evidence to prove it.

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Audible_Red40

Audible_Red40

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Well, speculation is that it's going to happen. If it does happen and Snyder had dinner with his agent or Haynesworth, it's tampering, no and's if's or but's.

Remeber the 49ers lost a 5th round pick for Tampering with Briggs and his party even though they did not land Briggs.

Guess it's like trading a draft pick for Haynesworth and a monster contract to Vinny and Danny boy. To them, it's like who cares?

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TheLongshot

TheLongshot

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BTW, from another article:

http://www.profootballtalk.com/2009/02/23/tampering-continues-to-be-a-combine-reality/

The reality is that nearly everyone tampers at this time of the year, and that nearly no one makes a big deal about it. So a serious disconnect exists, and as we’ve pointed out in the past the league should alter the rules to reflect the manner in which things really happen.

Obviously doesn't excuse it, but I agree with the article's conclusions that they probably should allow discussions in between the Super Bowl and the FA period.

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f_trizzy

f_trizzy

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Did the Browns get nailed for tampering when they signed LeCharles Bentley at the stroke of midnight a few years back? If not, I don't see how Washington can get hit with it.

EDIT: And if the Skins do get Haynesworth, hopefully it turns out much better than Bentley did with Cleveland

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Vilandil Tasardur

Vilandil Tasardur

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I could be wrong, but I think that you would have to prove that they dined AND discussed a contract. Otherwise, Snyder could have just been dining with a buddy. An gent represents many people, you can't prove that we were tampering with the Titans player because he could represent players from other teams, or even players who are currently free agents.

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illone

illone

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This is nothing new. Gibbs did this better than anyone, he just should have taught Snyder how to do it more discreetly.

Dining at Morton's = bad idea.

Discreet phone call = good idea.

All teams do it. Just because you are mad aboout who is being signed doesn't mean the Skins should get slammed for this. If it was a player that everyone wanted fans would be fine with it.

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TD_washingtonredskins

TD_washingtonredskins

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True, and it probably is, but it would also be difficult to prove, considering he has at least one other client on the 'Skins.

Right...I agree with that. I hope we don't get burned or anything, I'm just saying that I would bet there have been some illegal discussions going on (and I am sure almost every other team does it too).

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