Shortly after the Philadelphia Eagles signed former New York Giants working again Saquon Barkley, Penn State head coach James Franklin made feedback that appeared to recommend some tampering had occurred.
“He mentioned that was one of many first issues that Howie (Roseman) mentioned to him on the telephone as a part of his gross sales pitch,” Franklin mentioned of Barkley. “Not solely the Philadelphia Eagles and that that but in addition the reference to Penn State and the fan base as properly. So only a actually cool alternative.”
Had Eagles common supervisor Howie Roseman contacted Barkley through the two-day authorized tampering interval, it will have violated NFL protocol.
Per league guidelines, groups are permitted to enter into negotiations with brokers and representatives of pending free brokers through the two-day authorized tampering interval. Nevertheless, groups can not converse to gamers immediately until these gamers are self-represented.
Shortly after Franklin’s feedback, which he later walked again, the NFL opened a assessment of the Eagles’ signing of Barkley.
On Thursday, the league decided that the Eagles had not violated tampering guidelines and launched the next assertion:
After a radical assessment of the Philadelphia Eagles signing of Saquon Barkley, the NFL immediately knowledgeable the membership that the investigation didn’t uncover ample proof to help a discovering that the Anti-Tampering Coverage was violated.
In coming to this conclusion, the league reviewed telephone logs, textual content messages and different paperwork associated to Philadelphia’s free company technique and determination to signal Barkley. The NFL additionally interviewed a number of members of the group, together with Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni, in addition to Barkley and Penn State head coach James Franklin. As with each assessment, ought to new proof be uncovered, the league might reopen the investigation.
Had the Eagles violated tampering guidelines, they’d have been fined and/or docked future draft picks.
Philadelphia signed Barkley to a three-year, $37.75 million cope with $26 million assured.