FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The NFL’s investigation into alleged tampering by the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles stays ongoing and won’t be concluded this week, the league stated Tuesday.
So if both staff is discovered to have violated league tampering guidelines and loses draft picks, these choices is not going to come from this week’s draft. The Eagles and Falcons every have eight picks within the 2024 draft.
The Falcons are being investigated for allegedly being in direct contact with Kirk Cousins, previously with the Minnesota Vikings, earlier than they have been legally allowed to in line with league guidelines.
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Cousins ended up signing with the Falcons on a four-year contract value as much as $180 million on the primary day of official free company final month.
The Eagles are being investigated for alleged tampering concerning their signing of Saquon Barkley, who had beforehand performed for the New York Giants.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday that the Falcons are dealing with self-discipline that’s prone to contain draft picks and is predicted to be extra extreme than the Eagles’ punishment.
Falcons basic supervisor Terry Fontenot was requested in regards to the investigation and the chance it will not conclude this week at a information convention Tuesday.
“The league has been very communicative with us and all through the entire course of,” Fontenot stated. “Actually admire them. And we have clearly cooperated, supplied all the knowledge. Once more, probably not an replace from our finish with reference to that. We’ll simply proceed to cooperate and management what you possibly can management. We’ll prepare for this draft.”
Throughout Cousins’ introductory information convention, he indicated he spoke with the Falcons’ head coach earlier than 4 p.m. ET on March 13, when the brand new league 12 months started. Groups are allowed to talk solely with brokers through the 52-hour free agent negotiating window from till the beginning of the brand new league 12 months. However they can not communicate with gamers straight until the participant represents himself and would not have an agent. Cousins is represented by Mike McCartney of Vayner Sports activities.
Falcons proprietor Arthur Clean stated final month on the NFL’s annual assembly that he doesn’t suppose his staff dedicated any violation.
“The tampering deal, we clearly do not imagine we tampered, and we shared all the knowledge with the league,” Clean stated. “They usually’ll evaluate the method and the info, and they’re in the midst of doing that, and regardless of the result’s, we’ll take care of it.”
Penn State soccer coach James Franklin advised a reporter that Eagles basic supervisor Howie Roseman spoke to Barkley and pitched him on the connection between the Eagles and Nittany Lions fan bases. Barkley, at his introductory information convention with the Eagles, stated Franklin “misinterpreted” the scenario.
Final 12 months, the NFL introduced a decision to a tampering investigation of the Arizona Cardinals’ hiring of head coach Jonathan Gannon proper earlier than the beginning of the 2023 draft. The Cardinals and Eagles settled the costs by buying and selling third-round picks in final 12 months’s draft. Arizona gave up the 66th general choose for Philadelphia’s 94th general choose, and the Cardinals acquired a fifth-round choose within the 2024 draft from the Eagles.
