Tampering?

[slumdogmillionaire]

rotoworld:

The Chicago Tribune reports the Bears met with the player rep for free agent Julius Peppers over the past weekend.

We're waiting more information because a meeting to discuss Peppers before the onset of free agency would constitute tampering. Peppers is in a situation similar to Albert Haynesworth a year ago, where interested teams may be in contact with the player rep to ensure that they have a foot in the door. Mar. 2 - 9:07 pm et

Source: Chicago Tribune

Is Peppers still property of the Panthers and if the Bears get in trouble would we get any compensation?

[Kurb]

We released him.

[DynastyRTR]

We released him.

no we didnt, all that was said is they are not going to place the franchise tag on him. technically he is a panther till 12:00 AM on March 5th

[slumdogmillionaire]

We released him or just didn't offer him a new contract? What's this tampering they are talking about then?

[Kurb]

My bad ESPN had a wacky headline that night.

[Cyclonus]

Technically it's tampering. But this stuff happens every year. Remember how quickly Moose had a contract worked out with Chicago. The clock had barely finished chiming midnight and his name was on the contract.

[Kevin Greene]

More fun with tampering: Bears met with Peppers' agent

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on March 2, 2010 11:03 PM ET

The Bears have got an illegal running head start on free agency, according to the Chicago Tribune.

David Kaplan reports that the representative for Julius Peppers, Carl Carey, met with Bears brass during the NFL Scouting Combine. Carey has only one active contract in the NFL, so we know he's not just chit-chatting.

We know: this stuff happens all the time. It happens so much, the word "tampering" isn't even in the Tribune's story.

Denials will come swiftly Wednesday, but the league has to have a problem when their rules are flaunted so publicly.

...

[Mr. Scot]

I'm shocked! SHOCKED at this occurrence :eek:

This sort of thing has never happened before

(maybe)

[CatMan72]

It's tampering, will be interesting to see what if anything the NFL does about it. The 49ers got dinged a few years ago for talking to Lance Briggs, will be ironic if the Bears get dinged for tampering with Peppers.

[CatMan72]

Here's an article about the Briggs tampering I mentioned, pretty similar scenario to Peppers:

INDIANAPOLIS – The NFL is investigating a charge by the Chicago Bears that the San Francisco 49ers tampered last year by making overtures to linebacker Lance Briggs, three league sources said.

Chicago and San Francisco discussed a trade in October that would have sent Briggs, a Northern California native, to the 49ers. However, the Bears’ grievance claims that San Francisco held contract talks with agent Drew Rosenhaus during the season, thus interfering with a player under contract.

The 49ers’ counter is that they talked to the Bears first about a possible deal, then contacted Rosenhaus and the NFL Management Council about signing Briggs to a new contract. Because Briggs was designated a franchise player by Chicago last offseason and didn’t reach a long-term deal before the prescribed deadline in July, he was not eligible to sign a new contract with the Bears or any other team, even if he was traded.

San Francisco dropped the idea of trading for Briggs at that point. Briggs, who got the Bears to agree not to franchise him this offseason when he signed last year’s one-year tender, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this month.

If the 49ers are found to have tampered, they could be fined or lose a draft pick.

...and here was the outcome:

Following a detailed investigation and a hearing, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has determined that the San Francisco 49ers violated the league’s anti-tampering policy last season by contacting linebacker Lance Briggs’ agent without the Bears’ permission.

As a result of the ruling, the Bears will swap third-round draft picks with the 49ers, moving up five slots to the seventh selection of the third round. According to a chart used by NFL teams that assigns numerical values to each pick in the draft, the move equates to a sixth-round choice. San Francisco will also forfeit its fifth-round pick, but the Bears will not receive that selection.

“We are appreciative of the efforts of the league office on this matter and support the commissioner’s decision,” said Bears president and CEO Ted Phillips.

The Bears currently have eight picks in the draft, with one in each round and an additional third-round selection that was acquired from the San Diego Chargers in a draft-day trade last year.

The Bears had filed tampering charges against the 49ers to initiate the proceeding. Briggs, whose contract expired following the 2007 season, agreed to a six-year extension with the Bears March 1, the second day of this year’s free agency period.

...so come on Hurney, let's nail them on this and move up a couple slots in the draft!

[CosmoGirl]

Another bone-headed move by Peppers' so-called "agent".

[CharlotteBeer.com]

Another bone-headed move by Peppers' so-called "agent".

What does the agent have to lose in all of this?

I think it's a bone-headed move by Chicago's front office.

[CatMan72]

What does the agent have to lose in all of this?

I think it's a bone-headed move by Chicago's front office.

Yup, was bone-headed by the Bears FO... Peppers and his agent have nothing to lose on this.

[ElIngeniero]

Thanks Bears FO! Dumping peppers may get us back into the first round after all .

(I know a first is a stretch but it will be interesting to see what happens).