Grounds for Tampering?

I still think its going to be almost impossible to prove. He can say that we told him we were offering a 2nd, and we can say he's crazy and making shit up. Unless there's something in writing I don't know how they're going to prove it.

 

Here is more:

The Boston Globe
September 12, 2006

Hempstead — The Patriots traded receiver Deion Branch to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2007 first-round draft choice yesterday, and in the process filed tampering charges against the Jets.

The tampering charges should add fuel to a Patriots-Jets rivalry that has been reinvented in many forms over the last 10 years, from Bill Parcells leaving the Patriots for the Jets in 1997, to Bill Belichick leaving the Jets for the Patriots in 2000, to former defensive coordinator Eric Mangini leaving the Patriots to become the Jets' head coach this year.

The Patriots and Jets face each other Sunday in New York's home opener. In their tampering charge, the Patriots say that while the Jets had permission to negotiate a contract with Branch, any trade talks were to be solely between the teams. They claim that because Branch's representatives became involved in trade talks, the Patriots' negotiating position was compromised.

In addition to the tampering charges against the Jets, the Patriots intend to collect the full amount of fines that Branch totaled during his holdout, a figure that tops $600,000.

Meanwhile, Branch will sign a six-year, $39 million contract with the Seahawks, with about $23 million of that coming in the first three years.

In New York, Mangini spoke about the Jets' pursuit of Branch before news of the tampering charges came out.

"Deion is a player who is under contract with another NFL team, whether he's under contract with New England or Seattle, I respect that and respect that team's ability to operate and work with their players," Mangini said. "We don't want to interrupt that. I hope everything worked out how everybody wanted it to."

Mangini said the Jets' pursuit of Branch was strictly business.

"Each night, general manager Mike Tannenbaum and I meet and we look at how we can improve the New York Jets, we do that daily," Mangini said. "That's what we're always going to do, ask, 'How can we improve this team?' That's our focus. That's what we're committed to do, and we're going to keep doing it."

While Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Branch attended parts of the team's off-season program, Branch's holdout lasted through the team's June mandatory minicamp, training camp, and the first week of the season.

"It's been a long process," said Belichick. "I think that we tried hard to get it to work out. I think their side and Deion tried hard to make it work as well, but in the end it just didn't work."

The 27-year-old Branch was in the final year of the five-year contract he signed as a rookie in 2002. He was scheduled to earn $1.045 million this season, yet both sides seemed to agree that he was due for a raise.

However, talks on a contract extension hit a major snag in May. The Patriots offered a three-year extension at the time, with a $4 million signing bonus, $4 million option bonus, and base salaries of $1.4 million in 2007, $4.3 million in 2008, and $4.75 million in 2009.

The Seahawks and Jets made six-year contract offers that were acceptable to Branch, but a trade with New England couldn't be consummated by the Patriots' imposed deadline of Sept. 1, and Branch remained with New England.

 

This will either be swept under the rug, or result in some fine without the loss of draft picks. The Pats' bargaining position was compromised when they foolishly assumed that Branch wouldn't receive an offer better than what they had on the table. The formalities of conversations had no impact on the deterioration of the Pats bargaining position.

Move on Pats - go shine your Lombardis.

 

I'm not sure, the fact that Branch's agent used information the Jets had given him in violaton of the CBA to file a grievance is fairly significant, I could see it costing the Jets a mid to late round pick just to set a standard. If not why wouldn't a team do the same thing to Oakland in the Porter situation, or any other team with a holdout. Just tell him what was offered, in the hope that it forces the other team's hand, or goes to an arbitrator. I could see anywhere from a 4th to a 6th being the punishment. If the Jets had gotten Branch I think it would have been a 2nd or 3rd.

 

As for a little more controversy...does anyone rememeber the story that came out over the summer about Tom Brady contacting BALCO? Not being linked as someone who used their services but perhaps as just an inquiring party making a phone call. Thats plenty for me, just to know that he was thinking about it. BALCO-BRADY!!!

 

Is the Patriots fascination with the Jets somehow a Red Sox-Yankees manifestation or something? For a team that has had overwhelming success in general, and against the Jets in particular, over the past few years, they sure seem obsessed about the doings in Hempstead/the Meadowlands. They ended up getting more than they could have expected for Branch, and are still complaining? It's a joke, and they look ridiculous.

 

Sounds like wishful thinking on your part, Mickey. If the Jets tampered, they give up draft picks. This isn't MLB where things get swept under the rug.

 

This is just more press for the game on Sunday. Once the game's over with, the charges will be dropped.

 

Things don't get swept under the rug in the NFL? Maybe not to the extent they do in MLB, but there are never phone calls made by teams to agents before the start of free agency. No. Never.

There definitely wasn't tampering with Herm Edwards and Chiefs, right? Herm, who was running after a new contract from the Jets, blindly decided to play hardball with the Jets -- to the point they wanted to rid him from the organization -- on the lark that a contract from another team would magically surface? You believe that, I've got a bridge to sell you.

I haven't read the CBA on this specific point. Have you? Once a team gives a player permission to seek a trade, is there defined protocol about how negotiations and compensation are to be handled? I'd be curious to know.

I will say this: if anything, Tannenbaum is more versed in law than football. I have a hard time believing that he broke any rules; and that if he did, that he left a paper trail that leads back to him. We'll see, I guess.

 

The Jets released the information to more than Branch and his agent they released it to the press and it was reported as released by the Jets on 9/2.

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2006/09/02/branch_offers_refused/

I really don't see what advantage or disadvantage that created other than if the league rules were violated? Since the Pats rejected the offer they didn't lose any bargaining position with any potential team. If the Jets violated the CBA? It would be fair to fine the Jets rather than give the Pats an advantage over not only the Jets but every other team in football when in fact they weren't in any way damaged. To give the Pats an advantage over the entire league when no damage was done would not only be stupid, it would be penalizing every team in football not just the Jets.

 

This is the best post I have read all day.

 

Nothing will come of this..Seattle got him anyway and Branch was too pissed off to back to the Patriots, so they had to get rid of him..Patriot Spin BS, trying to lessen the fan reaction of losing Branch and focus it on the Jets..nice try .but a little lame..previous post was correct..they refused offer nothing is compromised

 

I forsee a fine coming the Jets way but with Woody's pockets who cares. If the only punishment we get is a fine considering the way the Patriots are in trouble at the wr position this year then thumbs up to Tannenbaum.

 

Here's my solution to this whole debacle:

 

I think this will all come down to who leaked that NE wanted two first round picks.

Why would it be OK for NE to leak that they wanted two first round picks to strengthen their negociation position against the Jets then be able to fry us for stating our counter position.

Hey in the end of the day we cost NE a very good player for this year!

 

To be fair it wasn't Balco at all, he called greg Anderson, who is Bonds' trainer, and all three went to the same school and live in the same area. They spoke once, but never met or talked again.

 

Here's an interesting note from Don Banks of SI.com about some recent Patriots shenanigans. While legal, certainly not above board.

• That Patriots front office never misses a trick. New England signed ex-Buffalo receiver/return man Jonathan Smith at the end of the preseason, just a week before the Pats were to open up against the Bills. New England cut receiver Bam Childress, who had a pretty decent camp, to make room for Smith, and added Childress to the practice squad.

After debriefing Smith all week about the Bills and their new coaching staff's playbook, New England released him last Saturday night, hours before the Buffalo game. Not coincidentally, the Patriots elevated Childress from the practice squad and he was one of three receivers active against the Bills. Predictably, Buffalo's coaches and players weren't thrilled with New England's rather blatant "scouting'' maneuver.

But rest assured, the Patriots don't care. They'll take any advantage they can get.

 

Wow! That is so Bush League of the Patriots. Why should they resort to such border-line unsportsman-like manuvers when they have dominated for so long.