The NFL allows for a brief four day period of negotiations before the start of free agency — but reports suggest league officials expected those negotiations to be secret.
Information leaks around NFL, NBA, MLB circles 24/7, 365 days a year. How else would Adam Schefter or Adrian Wojnarowski have so much star power?
The NFL has sent a letter to all 32 teams saying the league is not happy that contract terms are being released before the start of free agency, according to Yahoo Sports’ Rand Getlin.
Source: The NFL sent a letter to all 32 teams stating their displeasure w/ the release of contract terms prior to the start of free agency.
— Rand Getlin (@Rand_Getlin) March 9, 2015
NFL free agency officially begins at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
According to Getlin — the NFL will conduct an investigation about the issue and look at whether teams agreed to terms early with players.
The league promised to punish any potential violations “accordingly,” according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
NFL: "League office is beginning investigations into a number of reported agreements with clubs. Violations will be dealt with accordingly.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2015
That would likely then include a fine for Frank Gore, Byron Maxwell and a handful of others guys who allegedly revealed their plans.