Fantasy Football League ConstitutionFantasy Football League ConstitutionSaturday, September 9th, 2006
1) Terms
1.1 Fantasy Football League (FFL) - refers to the world's ultimate fantasy football league.
1.2 National Football League (NFL) - the world's ultimate league which plays the world's ultimate sport - American football.
1.3 League Membership - refers to the owners of each franchise, one franchise equals one vote.
1.4 General Manager (GM) - the person who runs each team, generally the same as the owner.
2) Office of the Commissioner
2.1 The position of Commissioner will be voted on by the league membership according to the league's constitution regarding the implementation of proposals and new rules. The Commissioner's term of office will only be limited to when the league membership decides to hold a leadership review and vote on any new canidates.
2.2 The Commissioner will uphold the league's constitution, rules and pratices.
2.3 The Commissioner shall be responsible for the official statistics, schedule and league records. He is responsible for issuing league results and news in a timely manner so that all teams have access to new league information as soon as possible. This means posting said results and news on the league's offical website (www.ffl.ca) or on an associated site (Around the League).
2.4 The Commissioner is also responsible for organizing league events, such as the Draft Lottery, Draft and Division Draw, which are all held annually. These events can not take place without the authority of the Commissioner.
2.5 The Commissioner shall also be charged with the duty of trying to maintain the league's integrity. This means addressing "shady" practices by league teams in a prompt manner with all the teams in the league if necessary. This could mean bringing new proposals to the membership regarding new or updated rules. The Commissioner's intentions must always have the "good of the league" in mind.
2.6 The Commissioner has the power to investigate complaints from other franchises, as well as "shady" practices allegedly conducted by member franchises. He will present his findings and recommendations to the whole league membership.
2.7 The Commissioner can act as a mediator in a dispute between teams should the need arise.
2.8 The Commissioner can appoint or consider nominations for other league posts. In the event that the league decides to charge league fees and/or have some sort of financial prizes, he can appoint someone in the membership to the position of League Secretary to oversee the collection and distribution of these funds.
2.9 FFL Commissioner is an unpaid position, so the commish receives the following additional benefits:
- First choice of seats at all FFL gatherings
- Total control of page content
- Shotgun on all gameday runs
- The ability to pass one patoity to any other attending FFL GM at a recognized league event
- First dibs on available fridge space
- First use of the bathroom if he and another GM both have to go at the same time
- First choice of doughnuts from a Horton's dozen
- First dibs on the spare bed if the day has sacked him (doing so without being put on watch)
- An extra warning of very serious watch before serving a timeout
- The right to declare 'It's Over!' without being put on watch. All other GMs are automatically put on watch if they declare the game over without officially forfeiting their game.
- The Commissioner never has to pay the delivery guy or go in during pick-up runs
- The first choice of dibbed sections in one of Tanya's nectar platters
- The right to send any GM to the basement scale for an official weigh-in
- The right to lock the rotating fan on himself when the hotbox gets ridiculous
3) Proposals, New Rules, Amendments
3.1 A proposal, motion, new rule or amendment can not be implemented unless it receives approval from a majority of the league membership.
4) Franchises
4.1 Franchises (teams) will be given equal power in terms of league votes. One franchise equals one vote. Individual votes can not be split at any time for any reason.
4.2.1 Franchises will be run by one person. This person will be known as the owner or general manager (GM). Teams that wish to have two or more people involved in the franchise will need to designate one person who will have the "last say" in regards to roster submission, league votes and transactions.
4.2.2 No owner or GM shall be involved in multiple teams at the same time. Penalties may range from high draft pick confiscation or loss of salary cap space, to be decided by the membership.
4.4.1 The membership has the ability to expand and contract the number of franchises in the league if it is deemed to be in the best interest of the league.
4.4.2 Expansion teams will not be eligible for league votes until the membership and expansion franchise have come to an agreement on all issues regarding the expansion, including a formula for a player dispersal draft.
5) Goose Pot, League Fees and Payout
5.1 Late player changes -- submitted/changed after 9:00pm on the due date, but before kickoff -- or players scoring zero, result in a dollar owing to the Goose Pot. All teams must pre-pay $20 toward the Pot by the annual draft.
5.2 League fees are $20, due at the FFL Draft.
5.3 Payout will be as follows: Fantasy Bowl Champion - The Goose Pot, less $20; Fantasy Bowl Finalist - $20 from the Goose Pot; Leader of each Position Group (QB, RB, WR/TE, DL, LB, DB) - $20 each.
6) Player Eligibility
6.1 Only players who are currently on an NFL roster, were on an NFL roster the previous season, or were drafted by the NFL in the last NFL Draft prior to the FFL Draft each season are eligible to be on an FFL roster.
6.2 Players who have formally announced their retirement from the NFL prior to the FFL Draft, or are members of the FFL Hall of Fame are not eligible to be on an FFL roster. Retired players that are protected may stay in the league.
6.3 Players who meet the requirements of 6.1 and 6.2 who are not on an FFL roster entering the FFL Draft are eligible to be drafted by an FFL team that season.
6.4 Players who are not on an FFL roster or taxi squad at the conclusion of the FFL Draft are ineligible for that FFL season. At no time will teams be able pick up free agents (defined as someone not on an FFL roster at the conclusion of the FFL Draft).
6.5 Players who are not on an FFL roster by the Week One roster deadline are ineligible for that FFL season.
6.6 Players may be released during the FFL season, but may not be picked up by another team.
6.7.1 Players will be eligible at one position only, their primary position that they are designated at during the FFL Draft. All players are subject to a review of their primary position prior to or during the Draft.
6.7.2 Players may switch to a more beneficial position (eg. DT from DE) if a GM appeals the player's case to the Commissioner and successfully demonstrates that the player's primary position has changed since the conclusion of the Draft. Players will never be penalized for an unbeneficial position switch during the season.
7) FFL Draft, Draft Lottery, Recognized Events and Division Draw
7.1 The entire draft will be in reverse order of finish by overall records, with the winner of the Fantasy Bowl to pick eighth and the Fantasy Bowl runner-up to select seventh.
7.2.1 The Draft Lottery will be conducted under the authority of the Commissioner sometime between the kickoff of the Fantasy Bowl and the conclusion of the East-West Pro Bowl.
7.2.2 The first two selections of each round will be given to the teams that do not qualify for the postseason. The subsequent order will be generated through records and standard tie-breaker procedures.
7.3.1 A player can be released during the FFL Draft, but he is then immediately eligible to be picked in the Draft by another team. If a player is released he can not be picked up by the same team in the same round he was just released in, but may be selected by that team in a future round.
7.3.2 Once the Draft begins, a team can not release a player before they fill 53 roster spots. Only one player may be released at a time.
7.3.3 GMs cannot draft more than 11 players from one position.
7.3.4 The FFL Draft will conclude when the last team fills fifty roster spots.
7.3.5 Once a team has filled fifty roster spots and passes on it's next two selections, they will be passed on automatically. They may jump back in at any time (when it is their turn according to the selection order), but it is their responsibility to inform the Commissioner or person conducting the Draft of their intentions at least one pick before their selection is up.
7.3.6.1 Individual franchises are responsible for making sure they have no more than fifty roster spots filled at any time during the Draft. Franchises must notify the Commissioner or person conducting the Draft immediately upon reaching fifty players or discovery of the violation. The team will be required to immediately forfiet the selections which put them over the fifty player limit.
7.3.6.2 Individual franchises who discover they are under the fifty player limit at the conclusion of the Draft must notify the Commissioner as soon as the discrepancy is discovered, and then have a ten minute limit for each player needed to select player(s) until they reach fifty. In the event that more than one team discovers they are in this position at the same time, the Commissioner will conduct the selection by order of next selection in the Draft order until all teams have fifty players.
7.3.7.1 The trading of Draft selections, both current (the Draft in progress) and future, may be traded at any time transactions are allowed by the league. At no time (before or during the Draft) are teams allowed to trade just Draft selections for just future considerations, or any material goods or any financial considerations or investments. There must be a player(s) or Draft selection(s), whether current or future, involved in the return portion of the transaction. This, as well as subsections 7.3.6.2 and 7.3.6.3 are in place to protect the integrity of the Draft, whose selections are arguably the most influential part of every FFL season.
7.3.7.2 During the Draft, a team may trade it's current selections freely, while complying with rule 7.3.6.1, for the current Draft when it has less than forty-eight roster spots filled.
7.3.7.3 When a team has filled forty-eight or more roster spots, they may only trade current Draft selections on a two-for-one, one-for-one or one-for-three or less basis. Teams may also receive a player for one or two current Draft selections, but can not send more than a combination of two current Draft picks or players in return. Teams may make any trade in which the ratio of players/selections traded to players/selections recieved equals two-for-one or one-for-one or one-for-three or less. Future Draft selections are not subject to this subsection.
7.3.7.4 Trades involving just players are not subject to subsection 7.3.7.3. However, teams must not at any time violate the fifty player limit. Teams can not violate the fifty player limit by accepting a trade and then release players to reach the limit.
7.3.7.5 Once the Draft is concluded, regular league rules govern all transactions.
7.3.8 The FFL Draft will be held sometime between May 1st and the first NFL game at the most convenient time and location possible, while trying to accomodate everyone in the membership.
7.3.9 Teams will have time limit for each selection to be determined by the membership prior to the start of the Draft, with the understanding that teams will be reasonable in letting teams run overtime if they are conducting serious trade negotiations. Teams will also be as quick as possible without being rushed in making their selections.
7.3.10 Individual franchises are responsible for bringing their own information, materials and research to the Draft. Teams are under no obligation to offer research, materials, information, help, either true or false, to other teams before or during the Draft.
7.3.11 Once a franchise has made a selection and confirmed it with the Commissioner or person conducting the Draft, the player selection is final and can not be retracted, whether or not the GM who made the selection receives bad news about said player afterwards or not. It also does not matter if the team with next selection has made there pick or not.
7.3.12 Individual franchise owners and interested observers are responsible for bringing and supplying their own beverages and snacks during the Draft. The league will try to continue the semi-tradition of ordering pie at the post-Draft analysis meeting for all owners who wish to contribute and partake.
7.3.13 Timeout and Patoity rules are in place for all recognized league gatherings: the draft, division draws, state of the league meetings, etc. Unless the specified act is aggregious, GMs should first be placed on watch, followed by serious watch and finally must serve a timeout. An aggregious act must be penalized with immediate timeout. Patoity cannot be passed. However, the GM may request an alternate item to patoity, but it must be accepted by the majority. Passing on the patoity without replacement, or not serving a timeout, requires a penalty of increasing severity. The pussy that violated the patoity/timeout may choose to accept a penalty of a higher level, rather than perform the required action of level 1.
Level 1 Penalty - doing a shot of an accepted beverage or consuming a beer.
Level 2 Penalty - performing an accepted feat of strength (ie. 25 pushups, indian leg wrestling vs. a challenging gm, wrestling a challenging gm until successfully pinning him, running an estimated 40 yards, 20 second flexed arm hang or 40 reps of the Hulk Hogan flex bar).
Level 3 Penalty - buying everyone in attendance an entire order of the patoitied item (ie. passing a patoitied Timbit results in the penalty of owing each gm a 40 pack of bits or an accepted alternative).
Level 4 Penalty - Streaking the neighbourhood or an accepted area for an accepted period of time.
Level 5 Penalty - Accepting the position of Commissioner for the subsequent season.
7.4.1 The Division Draw will be conducted under the authority of the Commissioner. The Commissioner will attempt to draw divisions when most GMs are present -- a state of the league meeting.
7.4.2 The Commissioner will designate which division is Premier and which is Third based on the winner of the FFL Bowl and the last place finisher in Premier. The new champion is automatically placed in Premier for the subsequent season; the loser of Premier is relegated to the Third division.
7.4.3 The remaining six teams will be allocated based on random draw.
8) Taxi Squad
8.1 Annually, the league can collectively decide to implement a Taxi Squad, under the subsequent rules.
8.2 At the conclusion of the FFL Draft, the Commissioner will conduct the Taxi Squad Draft (TSD).
8.3 The order of selection for the TSD will be determined by random draw for positions one through eight in all six rounds. The order will be drawn under the authority of the Commissioner at the same time that the Draft Lottery takes place.
8.4 TSD selections are not tradeable.
8.5 Teams may select up to six players in the TSD, but no more than one in each of the positional categories (QB, RB, WR/TE, K, DL, LB, DB) Teams may select a position at any time in the TSD as long as they haven't selected one before.
8.6 Players selected in the TSD may be traded at the conclusion of the TSD, but must go to the other teams' fifty-man roster. Teams must trade TSD players on a one-to-one basis.
8.7 A player may be brought up from the Taxi Squad to a teams' fifty-man roster at anytime before the Week One roster submission deadline, but teams must drop one player (from any position group) down to the Taxi Squad.
8.8 Players who begin the NFL season on the IR or PUP lists, or are known to have suffered a season-ending-injury, are eligible to be kept by their FFL team in reserve for next season should they decide to demote him to the Injured Reserve. A team must notify the Commissioner before the Week One roster submission deadline if they choose to keep him. That player is then ineligible for the current season and will be tagged as "untradable". The player that was promoted in his place is also tagged "untradable", and will be dropped from the roster at the conclusion of the post-season, when the demoted player then takes his place back on the roster at the minimum salary for his position for the next season.
8.9 Any players on the Taxi Squad who are not tagged "untradable" after the Week One roster submission deadline are ineligible for the season and will be released.
9) Roster, Roster Submission, Base Roster, Gameday Lineup
9.1 A team's roster shall not exceed 53 players at the conclusion of the Draft. After the Draft, there is no minimum or maximum roster limit.
9.2.1 The deadline for gameday roster submission is 9:00pm the day before the week's NFL games start.
9.2.2 Exceptions to rule 9.2.1 occur when there are NFL games which take place before Sunday. Roster deadlines for these games are 9:00pm the day before they happen, and teams need to only submit players they wish to start that play in the early games. Once a player is started in an early game, he can not be removed from that weeks' lineup.
9.2.3 GMs failing to submit a roster by the deadline will automatically have their Base Roster submitted. The Base Roster may be changed at any time and is considered a valid start, rather than making a weekly submission.
9.2.4 Players in Thursday or Saturday games must be explicitly started; they cannot be played via a default Base Roster submission. Players started via a Base Roster (effective Sat.@9:00) that have played an early game will receive 0 points and the respective GM is in for a buck.
9.3 The gameday starting lineup shall consist on the following:
QB - 2
RB - 4
WR - 4 (can be TEs as well)
TE - 1
K - 2
DL - 4 (at least one must be a DT)
LB - 4 (at least onemust be a LB)
DB - 4 (at least one must be a S)
9.4.1 Roster submission takes place via the submission page, e-mail to the commissioner or via direct correspondence.
9.4.2 GM's who submit their lineup to another GM with instructions to pass it on to the Commissioner do so at there own risk.
9.4.3 Players who are on a bye week, the NFL's Injured Reserve (IR) or weekly injury list will cost you a loonie.
9.4.4 Teams are expected to field the most competitive lineup possible each week for the integrity of the league. GM's who fail in this regard and damage the league or it's competitive structure in the process may be subject to penalities at the discretion of the membership. Violation of this rule would include playing players who are on a bye week, or trying to start players who are on the NFL's IR list or weekly injury list and are known to be 100% unavailable to their NFL teams that week.
9.4.5 The Commissioner is under no obligation to volunteer information to any GM regarding a player's injury or bye status, and can not be held responsible for not helping teams when submitting their starting lineup. The Commissioner will not knowingly provide false information to any GM who inquires about a players injury or bye status.
9.4.6 If the Commissioner discovers a GM has submitted a starting lineup with an injured or bye week player, the Commissioner will do his best to try and notify the GM via e-mail, phone call or message. However, GM's should not count it as one of the Commissioner's duties to double check their lineup, and can not hold the Commissioner responsible if he doesn't catch their error in time to correct it.
10) Transactions
10.1 The trading deadline is when Week Thirteen rosters are due. If a player starts for a team or is on the roster during Week Thirteen he can not be traded until the trade moratorium has passed. Trades will be allowed again at the conclusion of the Fantasy Bowl.
10.2 Teams need to let the Commissioner know as soon as possible after the consummation of any trade.
10.3 There will be no "CFL trades" at any time. If Team A trades player #1 to Team B for player #2, Team A can not reaquire player #1 from Team B until a three week period has passed. If Team B trades player #1 to Team C, Team A may trade for player #1 from Team C immediately.
11) Scoring Method
11.1 The following formula will be used for all FFL games. The only statistics that will be official will be from NFL.com. Players will receive all points earned under our scoring system -- offense, defense or kicking -- reguardless of their starting position. Offensive players intercepting a pass will score as a DL/LB.
Offense
Passing Yards - 1pt/20yds
Rushing/Receiving Yards - 1pt/10yds
Passing TD (by distance)- 1pt/1-9yds, 2pts/10-19yds, etc.
Offensive TD (by distance) - 2pts/1-9yds, 4pts/10-19yds, etc.
Field Goals - 1 pt/10 yds
Converts - 1 pt
2-pt Converts - 1 pt/pass, 1 pt/run or reception
Defense
Tackle - 1 pt
Assist - 0.5 pt
Sack - 10 pts
½ Sack - 5 pts
Safety - 5 pts
Forced or Recovered Fumble - 5 pts
Interception by: CB - 20 pts, S - 15 pts, DL/LB - 10 pts
Passes Defensed - 1 pt
Defensive TD - 10 pts
11.2.1 The Commissioner has the ability to use common sense and overrule the NFL.com scoring statistics when it is known that they are wrong.
11.2.2 This will occur when the wrong player is given credit for a scoring play. (This is a very rare occurence.)
11.2.3 This will also occur when it is obvious that the wrong player has been credited for a forced or recovered fumble, sack or interception. To be obvious the play needs to clearly show the said result, and be confirmed by at least three different GM's. (This is a very rare occurence.)
11.2.4 Offensively the only plays that are "reviewable" are credit for scoring plays. Defensively only credit for forced or recovered fumbles, sacks, interceptions or scoring plays are "reviewable".
11.2.5 The Commissioner can not rule a running play a sack or vice versa. The statistic must have been given by the NFL to count, only credit for the plays in 11.2.4 are "reviewable".
12) Salary Cap and Protection Roster
12.1 A player's salary cap value will be determined using the points he scored in the previous season. Here is the formula:
QBs/RBs - pts x $10,000 x 1.2 = salary
WRs/TEs/DLs/LBs/DBs - pts x $10,000 = salary
Ks - pts x $10,000 / 2 = salary
Minimum salaries for each position will be as follows:
QBs/RBs - $250,000
WRs/TEs/DLs/LBs/DBs - $200,000
Ks - $100,000
12.2 The salary cap is determined by adding the top twenty players' salaries on each team, then averaging every teams' total. The number is rounded down to the nearest hundred thousand.
12.3 The salary cap will be in effect until protection rosters have been declared.
No team's protected roster shall exceed the established cap value. Once protection rosters have been turned in, the salary cap is no longer in effect.
12.4 Protection rosters will be due no later than 10:00pm MDT two days before the Draft. The Commissioner and the membership may agree on an early deadline if it is deemed necessary so that the league can have adequate time to handle the administration of the salary cap.
13) Schedule and Postseason
13.1 Each team will play a thirteen week regular season schedule consisting of three games against each of their division opponents and one game against each team in the opposite division.
13.2.1 Upon generating the schedule, the Commissioner will attempt to match up teams whose NFL counterparts play each other. For instance, when the Lions play the Vikings in the NFL, the Lions will play the Vikings in the FFL. These will be designated as "rivalry" games.
13.2.2 Also upon generating the schedule, the Commissioner will attempt to schedule inter-division games during associated NFL teams' bye weeks or have the same two FFL teams play both weeks that associated NFL teams have byes.
13.3.1 Six teams will make the playoffs, three from each division.
13.3.2 Here are the playoff and Draft tiebreakers:
Between Division Opponents
1) Head-to-head records
2) Divison records
3) Total season points scored
4) Head-to-head total points scored
Between Non-Division Opponents
1) Head-to-head records
2) Total season points scored
3) Head-to-head total points scored
13.3.3 The first place team in each division will receive a first round bye. The third place team will play at the second place team in each division in the Division Semi-Finals during Week Fourteen.
13.3.4 The Division Finals will be played at the first place team in each division during Week Fifteen, with the winner of the Division Semi-Finals providing the opponent.
13.3.5 The Fantasy Bowl will take place between the Division Final winners during Week Sixteen at the team with the best regular season record.
13.4 The home team in the playoffs will receive a 0.5 point "home field advantage" to break a tie if necessary.
13.5.1 The East-West Pro Bowl will be played in Week Seventeen, between the Eastern and Western Divisions, with players to be determined by their cumulative regular season statistics.
13.5.2 Players who are listed as out, doubtful or questionable on the NFL's injury report for Week Seventeen will be replaced automatically by the next player at their position.
14) FFL Awards
14.1 The FFL Awards will consist of the following:
- All-Fantasy Team
- Eastern and Western Division Pro Bowl Teams
- Player of the Year
- Rookie of the Year
- Quarterback of the Year
- Running Back of the Year
- Receiver of the Year
- Kicker of the Year
- Defensive Lineman of the Year
- Linebacker of the Year
- Defensive Back of the Year
- Offensive Rookie of the Year
- Defensive Rookie of the Year
14.2 Only players who are designated as rookies by the NFL are eligible for the rookie awards.
14.3 Award winners are determined by the players' cumulative regular season statistics.
15) FFL Hall of Fame
15.1 A player can make it into the Hall one of seven ways. If he:
- Scored 1000 career points.
- Holds a single game, season, or careerr position category scoring record at the time of his retirement#.
- Won his position category two times orr more.
- Was an FFL MVP.
- Was named All-Fantasy four or more timmes.
- Ranks among the top three players at hhis position category in career scoring at the time of his retirement#.
- Is voted in after being nominated by tthe last team he played for. Each team receives one nomination each year. A player needs five out of eight votes to get in.
15.2.1 A player will become eligible to enter the Hall once he is no longer on an FFL roster at the conclusion of the upcoming season's Draft.
15.2.2 #Retirment will be considered when a player is not on a team after the upcoming season's Draft takes place.
15.3 Players will represent every team under which they met a requirement for induction into the Hall.
15.4 Once a player is in the Hall, he is not eligible to ever be on an FFL roster again.
15.5 Induction ceremonies will take place after the Draft each season, if someone is inducted.