Did Bruce Arians violate the league’s Anti-Tampering Policy?

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Tampa Bay’s head coach may have made a boo-boo.

Here I was on a Wednesday night trying to enjoy some music on my Beats from the likes of Danny Gokey and Andy Mineo among others with some acoustic ballads sprinkled in when our very own James Yarcho slid into my text messages to pop my bubble. All because of articles written in the Tampa Bay Times and the Boston Globe.

On Tuesday, we debated within our staff if Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians violated the NFL Anti-Tampering Policy when he said he’d place a phone call to Tom Brady when the league’s negotiating period begins.

By the actual definition, he didn’t really tamper, right?

Any interference by a member club with the employer-employee relationship of another club or any attempt by a club to impermissibly induce a person to seek employment with that club or with the NFL.

I mean, induce means to “succeed in persuading or influencing someone to do something” and Arians didn’t technically persuade anyone (in this case, Brady) into doing anything. At least not yet anyway. But both articles in both papers suggested Arians did in fact tamper.

Now I see why.

There are these little sneaky clauses legal departments put in documents. In this policy, that’s no different. And it falls under the section labeled Public/Private Statements.

Any public or private statement of interest, qualified or unqualified, in another club’s player to that player’s agent or representative, or to a member of the news media, is a violation of this Anti-Tampering Policy.

There it is. The very. First. Sentence.

It’s doubtful anything will happen. Like Ben Volin wrote in his article for the Boston Globe, the Patriots would probably welcome it so that they can get a better feel for the market.

So rest easy, Bucs fans. Know that you’re head coach may not hurt the team at the end of the day.

Now back to some Lecrae, Social Club Misfits, and maybe some Ed Sheeran and/or Toby Mac.

That’s right. I’m all over the place. Thanks, James.

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