Posted by Michael David Smith on April 18, 2016, 5:39 PM EDT
AP
The Chiefs will not get back the two draft picks they lost when the NFL found they tampered with wide receiver
Jeremy Maclin while he was still under contract to the Eagles.
Chiefs owner Clark Hunt released a statement today acknowledging that the team had lost its appeal with respect to losing their third-round pick in this year’s draft and their sixth-round pick in next year’s draft. The Chiefs did get their fines reduced.
“We appreciate the opportunity to make our appeal on this matter, and we acknowledge the minor reduction in fines imposed,” Hunt said. “However, we continue to believe that the facts of this case combined with
the league’s inconsistent enforcement of its tampering policies do not warrant the most severe penalty for player-related tampering in league history.
“Having exhausted our options under the appeal process, we are turning the page on this issue and look forward to continuing our preparations for the 2016 season.”
Although tampering is widely regarded as commonplace around the NFL, sanctions against teams are rare. Given that, it’s not surprising that Hunt pointed out the inconsistent enforcement of the rules, even as he acknowledged that he has no further recourse and that the Chiefs are stuck losing two draft picks.
