Can you kick a long-time friend/owner out? (1 Viewer)

[gump]

I hope this is the correct forum for this.

I am in a major quandry as an owner/commish of a 10-team redraft league that is pretty serious and has been around for about 10 years.

OWNER A has been in the league for about 8 of those 10 years. We are all pretty good friends, and see each other at games, etc. OWNER A moved an hour away from town about 2 years ago, got married, had children, and doesn't really see anyone anymore outside of the league other than myself and 1 other guy. He is a commercial fisherman (owns 3 boats), and is buried in work starting in October.

3 years ago, OWNER A did a poor job of managing his team towards the end of the season...and ended up giving the owners that were playing him an advantage in the end who were playing him. We talked to him about this, and he promised to be a more responsible owner going forward.

2 years ago, OWNER A won the Super Bowl!

Last year, OWNER A started slow at 2-4, won 2 to get to 4-4, then lost his last 5 and averaged only about 60 points in a league where we average about 80. He then lost both Toilet Bowl games to finish last and with the 4th pick. His roster was a mixture of players performing poorly (Cadillac, Edge) and 2nd-tier players that he picked up earlier and never replaced. He had chances to pick up Free Agents and didn't, and had chances to start guys on his bench that were performing better than his starters and made some incorrect roster decisions. He DID turn in his lineup every week, and was available for Free Agency...just never picked anyone up past Week 7.

So...naturally...some owners want him out. The owners pushing for it were never great friends with OWNER A in the first place, and are the ones who take the league very seriously and are involved in every league decision. They want a new owner, OWNER B, who is a good friend of theirs and who lives close by and would be very involved.

The big problem is that OWNER A still wants to be in the league. He has no social life, so fantasy is one big outlet for him. He has promised again that he will be more engaged this season. I think he will take this ousting very hard, and will feel awkward around guys he considers good friends in the future (and vice versa). My thought now is...Is Fantasy really this important?? Of course, we do all put $250 in the league.

We put it to a league vote (replace Owner A?), and it split...3 yes, 4 no, and 2 guys who are new and don't want to be controversial so said "whatever".

As an owner and commish...I put everything to a vote and try to make sure that everyone's voice is heard equally.

So....Would you replace OWNER A?

 

[CYP]

Too long for me to read and stay interested in the topic. My answer is Yes kick him, if you are already questioning it just kick him. That is all

 

[Pittsburgh United]

In general, I would have no problem booting a good friend if he wasn't taking the league seriously. In this particular case, though, it sounds like this guy understands that he slacked off, is apologetic for it, and plans to rededicate himself appropriately. I would certainly give him another chance.

 

[greenf7cat]

I hope this is the correct forum for this.I am in a major quandry as an owner/commish of a 10-team redraft league that is pretty serious and has been around for about 10 years.OWNER A has been in the league for about 8 of those 10 years. We are all pretty good friends, and see each other at games, etc. OWNER A moved an hour away from town about 2 years ago, got married, had children, and doesn't really see anyone anymore outside of the league other than myself and 1 other guy. He is a commercial fisherman (owns 3 boats), and is buried in work starting in October.3 years ago, OWNER A did a poor job of managing his team towards the end of the season...and ended up giving the owners that were playing him an advantage in the end who were playing him. We talked to him about this, and he promised to be a more responsible owner going forward.2 years ago, OWNER A won the Super Bowl!Last year, OWNER A started slow at 2-4, won 2 to get to 4-4, then lost his last 5 and averaged only about 60 points in a league where we average about 80. He then lost both Toilet Bowl games to finish last and with the 4th pick. His roster was a mixture of players performing poorly (Cadillac, Edge) and 2nd-tier players that he picked up earlier and never replaced. He had chances to pick up Free Agents and didn't, and had chances to start guys on his bench that were performing better than his starters and made some incorrect roster decisions. He DID turn in his lineup every week, and was available for Free Agency...just never picked anyone up past Week 7.So...naturally...some owners want him out. The owners pushing for it were never great friends with OWNER A in the first place, and are the ones who take the league very seriously and are involved in every league decision. They want a new owner, OWNER B, who is a good friend of theirs and who lives close by and would be very involved.The big problem is that OWNER A still wants to be in the league. He has no social life, so fantasy is one big outlet for him. He has promised again that he will be more engaged this season. I think he will take this ousting very hard, and will feel awkward around guys he considers good friends in the future (and vice versa). My thought now is...Is Fantasy really this important?? Of course, we do all put $250 in the league.We put it to a league vote (replace Owner A?), and it split...3 yes, 4 no, and 2 guys who are new and don't want to be controversial so said "whatever".As an owner and commish...I put everything to a vote and try to make sure that everyone's voice is heard equally.So....Would you replace OWNER A?

No, I would not replace Owner A. I could see if he was not submitting line-ups, or making awful trades that only benefitted others and hurt himself. He did win the Championship already, so he obviously has some sort of an idea how FF works. I don't think that the reasons others are giving to kick him out of the league is justified.

 

[fsufan]

I did in a round about way. I good friend of mine of ten years had been playing in my main dynasty league from the start, 9 years. I was told by a few other owners he was not playing this year. I emailed and emailed him asking if he was playing or not but he would never respond. So I replaced him.

 

[Nathan R. Jessep]

I would explain to them that several other owners are concerned with him not trying towards the end of the season, and it possibly swaying league results... he has one more chance to get off his butt and get in the game and STAY in the game, or else next year he's out

 

[Buddy Ball 2K3]

I have kicked two buddies out. One was the commish before me. Always do what is best for the league, its that simple. That being said I do have a few owners that call me Hitler.

 

[Phurfur]

You should have replaced him 3 years ago. As long as he sets his lineup every week you don't have a complaint. I would say unless he screws up it is not right to replace him now.

 

[B-Deep]

only 3 votes to kick him out?

it is a non issue

no way a 30% vote should get someone kicked out, if i was one of the 4 who voted no I'd be PISSED if you kicked him out

 

[zed2283]

No you don't replace him. We have a saying for guys like that: "thanks for the donation."

 

[LionsFan78]

only 3 votes to kick him out?it is a non issueno way a 30% vote should get someone kicked out, if i was one of the 4 who voted no I'd be PISSED if you kicked him out

Agreed 100%I don't know man, this sounds like WAY too much nitpicking to me. Sounds to me like he addressed the problems the league had with him 3 years ago, and everything's been legit since. You can't nitpick him for averaging 60 points per game down the stretch last year, losing games, not picking up FA's and mis-managing his roster. Maybe I need to re-read this again, but I don't think he's done anything deserving of the boot.I'd let it be.

 

[gump]

Thanks for the advice guys.

I don't want him out...but I always need to make sure, as commish, I am making decisions based on the right things.

 

[Zoomanji]

only 3 votes to kick him out?it is a non issueno way a 30% vote should get someone kicked out, if i was one of the 4 who voted no I'd be PISSED if you kicked him out

Agreed 100%I don't know man, this sounds like WAY too much nitpicking to me. Sounds to me like he addressed the problems the league had with him 3 years ago, and everything's been legit since. You can't nitpick him for averaging 60 points per game down the stretch last year, losing games, not picking up FA's and mis-managing his roster. Maybe I need to re-read this again, but I don't think he's done anything deserving of the boot.I'd let it be.

The only guy I ever booted was one who didn't pay. He is a good friend of all of ours so he got back in a couple years later.Failure to pay is the only reason I can see to boot some one. Team mismanagment is bad but not enough reason for the boot.

 

[Jayrod]

No way you kick him out.

I would think he would need to have not submitted a lineup or failed to even make any changes to deserve a booting.

From the OP, it seems like this league is important to this guy. So what if his team performed badly? He got a bad break with Caddy & Edge both sucking it up last year (they both waaaaaayyy underpreformed from their ADP last year). So he didn't scramble to repair his team, big deal. He didn't tank on purpose, didn't make stupid trades and didn't ignore his team entirely. As long as he paid his fees, he should stay.

 

[Lehigh98]

Let Owner A stay with the condition that if he finishes in the bottom half this year he's out.

(Or something along those line to give him some extra motivation)

 

[AngryPatriot]

Thanks for the advice guys.I don't want him out...but I always need to make sure, as commish, I am making decisions based on the right things.

In this case he can stay if he wants. Sometimes this whole thing can be taken too seriously. There's people who are better at it than others, some more obsess... I mean dedicated than others. And he won two years ago? Nuff said. Sounds like a little whining to me.

 

[Mystery Achiever]

i'm with the majority here; he doesn't deserve to go. nothing wrong with a friendly chat that it would be appreciated if he would manage a little more actively. i don't think you can say he's out if he finishes near the bottom - sometimes injuries and bad luck just happen -- even to the most active owner.

 

[Q-Bert]

I hope this is the correct forum for this.

I am in a major quandry as an owner/commish of a 10-team redraft league that is pretty serious and has been around for about 10 years.

OWNER A has been in the league for about 8 of those 10 years. We are all pretty good friends, and see each other at games, etc. OWNER A moved an hour away from town about 2 years ago, got married, had children, and doesn't really see anyone anymore outside of the league other than myself and 1 other guy. He is a commercial fisherman (owns 3 boats), and is buried in work starting in October.

3 years ago, OWNER A did a poor job of managing his team towards the end of the season...and ended up giving the owners that were playing him an advantage in the end who were playing him. We talked to him about this, and he promised to be a more responsible owner going forward.

2 years ago, OWNER A won the Super Bowl!

Last year, OWNER A started slow at 2-4, won 2 to get to 4-4, then lost his last 5 and averaged only about 60 points in a league where we average about 80. He then lost both Toilet Bowl games to finish last and with the 4th pick. His roster was a mixture of players performing poorly (Cadillac, Edge) and 2nd-tier players that he picked up earlier and never replaced. He had chances to pick up Free Agents and didn't, and had chances to start guys on his bench that were performing better than his starters and made some incorrect roster decisions. He DID turn in his lineup every week, and was available for Free Agency...just never picked anyone up past Week 7.

So...naturally...some owners want him out. The owners pushing for it were never great friends with OWNER A in the first place, and are the ones who take the league very seriously and are involved in every league decision. They want a new owner, OWNER B, who is a good friend of theirs and who lives close by and would be very involved.

The big problem is that OWNER A still wants to be in the league. He has no social life, so fantasy is one big outlet for him. He has promised again that he will be more engaged this season. I think he will take this ousting very hard, and will feel awkward around guys he considers good friends in the future (and vice versa). My thought now is...Is Fantasy really this important?? Of course, we do all put $250 in the league.

We put it to a league vote (replace Owner A?), and it split...3 yes, 4 no, and 2 guys who are new and don't want to be controversial so said "whatever".

As an owner and commish...I put everything to a vote and try to make sure that everyone's voice is heard equally.

So....Would you replace OWNER A?

The guy has been in the league for 8 years. He won the championship two years ago. He pays his league entree fee every year.Why in God's name would you have even considered letting your league vote on whether or not to kick the guy out of the league. That is bush league. If I was Owner A I would quit this sorry ### league.

 

[wildbill]

I'm glad I didn't get kicked out of my league for drafting Cadillac last year.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

An owner who is not active is a detriment to the entire league.

 

[Atticus]

I say that there is no need to kick an owner, who is obviously very busy, but does admit there is a problem and wants to fix it. If he is a good friend, it just isn't worth it. If the other owners have a buddy that wants in, why not expand the league? See if you can find one more owner to make it 12 or keep it at 11 and one owner plays the weekly average each week.

 

[salmonstud]

He put in his $250. He can manage his team the way he sees fit as long as he is not in collusion with other owners, starting injured players or failing to put in a lineup each week. Plus, he is a fisherman...you have to cut him some slack.

The redraft league that I commish has rules that penalize owners for being lazy and not putting in lineups consisting of healthy players, etc. I spell out how conflicts will be dealt with, etc. I don't believe this individual would have been guilty of any of our rule violations based on the way you described the situation.

I copied and pasted some of the rules from my league that you might find helpful to look over.

LAZY OWNER PENALTY

If an owner doesn’t field a starting roster for 4 of the 13 regular season weeks a penalty will be incurred. The four strike rule will be applied in one of the 3 ways.

(1) Starting a player that is injured and it was announced before kickoff. The penalty will only occur if the owner had another player on the bench that was not on a bye week and could have been started in place of the injured player.

(2) Starting a player that is on a bye week when the owner could have started a player at the same position that was on that owner’s bench.

(3) Going 2 weeks without a healthy player at a position that prevents an owner from fielding a starting lineup will incur a strike. Example: You have 2 QB’s and one is injured. On Wednesday your only healthy QB pulls a hamstring in practice and is placed on the IR. The owner can field a lineup without a QB that week with no penalty. However, if the owner doesn’t do a drop/add waiver for a QB that is available & can be aquired via the waiver wire...the next week and doesn’t field a starting lineup for 2 straight weeks….one strike will occur & a strike will occur every subsequent week until that owner makes a trade that allows him to field a starting lineup. .

(4) The commissioner will track strikes against owners for the Lazy Owner Penalty Rule and all infractions will be posted in a thread each year on the message board. Another owner can bring an infraction to the attention of the commissioner to record. It is not only the commissioner’s duty to monitor and notice owner’s entering in uncompetitive or incomplete lineups.

(5) If an owner receives 4 strikes against them during a season there will be a league wide vote of the remaining 11 owners to see if they wish to ban that person from the league and seek a more active owner for the following year. 6 votes for banishment will equate to the owner in question beeing banned. No stoning will be included...just banishment.

CONFLICTS:

In the case that there is a league dispute that can’t be solved by consulting the league rules, then the commissioner will contact all league owners for input into solutions for the dispute. A majority rules vote will apply if the decision is questionable. In case of a tie the commissioner vote will be the tie-breaker.

ETHICS:

If an owner is statistically out of the playoff hunt in the 2nd half of the season and apparently takes a week off when playing one of their buddies (Takes most or all of their stud players out of the starting line-up and plays scrubs) the following will occur: The rest of the league will vote to see if they agree that there was an intentional flop. The owner benefiting from the flop is excluded from the vote. If the league unanimously agrees there was a flop, that owner will no longer be invited to play in the league again.

PLEADING IGNORANCE

Every owner is expected to know the rules, especially those that pertain to roster requirements and penalties for making their roster illegal. Read the league rules thoroughly and ask for clarification of any rule before the season starts. Most of us are in multiple leagues with very different rules. It can be easy to forget the differences in rules between leagues. Ignorance is not a valid excuse.

 

[gump]

Thanks guys...

 

[JAA]

Other owners have shown their true intentions. I would tell them to kiss your ### and you arent voting your buddy out. If you cared enough, you could tell them that if he goes, you go too. #### those ### clowns.

 

[Couch Potato]

I agree with others who have said he does not deserve the boot. He turns in lineups, he wants to stay, and he WON THE LEAGUE 2 YEARS AGO for crying out loud.

Nobody is required to be addicted to this hobby and to cruise the WW constantly. If he didn't pick up new players after week 7 in a redraft league, it was probably because he saw his chances by then as slim to make the playoffs and lost some interest. That's not unusual. It doesn't mean his 8 years' involvement and his friendship are suddenly meaningless.

You did the right thing in talking to him. Reiterate that the league wants involved players and that he should always do what he can to field his most competitive team for the sake of league integrity. But the idea of these other guys wanting to kick him out just two years removed from being league champ because they don't think he is involved enough is ridiculous.

 

[Pipes]

An owner who is not active is a detriment to the entire league.

True...but this guy submitted a lineup every week last year. How is that not being active?

 

[ffguru56]

only 3 votes to kick him out?it is a non issueno way a 30% vote should get someone kicked out, if i was one of the 4 who voted no I'd be PISSED if you kicked him out

Agreed 100%I don't know man, this sounds like WAY too much nitpicking to me. Sounds to me like he addressed the problems the league had with him 3 years ago, and everything's been legit since. You can't nitpick him for averaging 60 points per game down the stretch last year, losing games, not picking up FA's and mis-managing his roster. Maybe I need to re-read this again, but I don't think he's done anything deserving of the boot.I'd let it be.

I agree with LionsFan. You can't hold it against someone for making "mistakes" on their roster. Not to mention, he's a good friend of not only you but of others. Yes, you take the league seriously but if the friendship is going to get ruined over it then it's not worth it, expecially at this juncture. I don't really see where he has done anything that's grounds for dismissal.We have a similar situation. 10 team league with 1 team being a female owner. The husband of that female owner is the commish. It seems like every year they do a trade between one another that benefits both and strengthens the wife's team ALL the time. We have mentioned things and it has caused turmoil but we don't bring it to the point where friendships are lost. Fantasy football is just a hobbie...should be anyway.

 

[Addai's Adidas]

ALWAYS put the league in front of friends

Come on why did you invite him? Because he was your friend. If everyone wants to be in a league where everyone else is super competitive they should either:

A: Join a public league, pay, league. But even then people give up once they realize they are out of it.

B: Start and commish their own league where the rules state "if you suck, we will kick you out.

I've actually always wanted to play in a league where if you came in last you were booted. One new owner every year.

It's just a game. It's just money.

 

[Sleeper 43]

They just want there new buddy in for the most part. What team A did was dumb on his part but didn't taint the quality of the league. You can chew him out about being stupid for not putting in the extra effort when he put $250 on the line but thats about it.

PS, its a 10 man redraft, tell you boys to sac up and expand it to 12 so they can get there new "trade buddy".

 

[Q-Bert]

Other owners have shown their true intentions. I would tell them to kiss your ### and you arent voting your buddy out. If you cared enough, you could tell them that if he goes, you go too. #### those ### clowns.

 

[BigRed]

So...naturally...some owners want him out. The owners pushing for it were never great friends with OWNER A in the first place, and are the ones who take the league very seriously and are involved in every league decision.

Your other "friends" sound like losers who seriously need a life.What are the yearly dues, $10,000? If it's a more normal/token amount, hell no you don't replace him. Since he seems sincere to be better about it and apparently did so last time this came up, and keeping in mind he has a new family etc etc, give him a break. wtf kind of friend would turn on another like that over FF?

 

[by_the_sea_wannabe]

Well you have an 11th lined up right ? So go get someone else, and make your league 12 teams. ywia

 

[phthalatemagic]

No you don't replace him. We have a saying for guys like that: "thanks for the donation."

What a horrible league. I hope I'm never in a league like that.

 

[CBower4545]

I agree with what most have said on this board, don't boot him. I have a different problem with this situation. Was this some sort of secret vote to kick him out? Personally I feel like a long time league member and a friend deserves more. Any vote to kick out a long time owner should have to be formally and publicly proposed by an owner. The owner in question should have the right to attend the meeting and respond to those who are proposing the ban. This may make for an awkward situation, but if someone has done something serious enough to be kicked out of a league then there should be no problem with voicing that opinion.You said:

As an owner and commish...I put everything to a vote and try to make sure that everyone's voice is heard equally.

I just hope you allowed your longtime friend and league mate his equal chance to be heard.

 

[Woz]

He's submitting lineups, making some moves, won a title, been there from the beginning essentially, and has a desire to be in it. Can't boot him.

 

[spOOfy]

No, and I don't even see a question here. You put it to a vote and only 3 people said kick him to the curb. That should be the end of it.

 

[gump]

I agree with what most have said on this board, don't boot him. I have a different problem with this situation. Was this some sort of secret vote to kick him out?

Personally I feel like a long time league member and a friend deserves more. Any vote to kick out a long time owner should have to be formally and publicly proposed by an owner. The owner in question should have the right to attend the meeting and respond to those who are proposing the ban. This may make for an awkward situation, but if someone has done something serious enough to be kicked out of a league then there should be no problem with voicing that opinion.

You said:

As an owner and commish...I put everything to a vote and try to make sure that everyone's voice is heard equally.

I just hope you allowed your longtime friend and league mate his equal chance to be heard.

You are right and that was my fault. I decided to put it to a vote to see if it was even an issue first, before telling him. Partly because he has a VERY soft personality and would have a hard time speaking up for himself. When 3 negative votes came in, we told him and found out how upset he was.UPDATE: Unbelievable...but the league just imploded. Done after 10 years. Oh well...probably for the best. Too many egos who can't understand how to compromise...and probably not a good commish.

 

[KING]

I hope this is the correct forum for this.

I am in a major quandry as an owner/commish of a 10-team redraft league that is pretty serious and has been around for about 10 years.

OWNER A has been in the league for about 8 of those 10 years. We are all pretty good friends, and see each other at games, etc. OWNER A moved an hour away from town about 2 years ago, got married, had children, and doesn't really see anyone anymore outside of the league other than myself and 1 other guy. He is a commercial fisherman (owns 3 boats), and is buried in work starting in October.

3 years ago, OWNER A did a poor job of managing his team towards the end of the season...and ended up giving the owners that were playing him an advantage in the end who were playing him. We talked to him about this, and he promised to be a more responsible owner going forward.

2 years ago, OWNER A won the Super Bowl!

Last year, OWNER A started slow at 2-4, won 2 to get to 4-4, then lost his last 5 and averaged only about 60 points in a league where we average about 80. He then lost both Toilet Bowl games to finish last and with the 4th pick. His roster was a mixture of players performing poorly (Cadillac, Edge) and 2nd-tier players that he picked up earlier and never replaced. He had chances to pick up Free Agents and didn't, and had chances to start guys on his bench that were performing better than his starters and made some incorrect roster decisions. He DID turn in his lineup every week, and was available for Free Agency...just never picked anyone up past Week 7.

So...naturally...some owners want him out. The owners pushing for it were never great friends with OWNER A in the first place, and are the ones who take the league very seriously and are involved in every league decision. They want a new owner, OWNER B, who is a good friend of theirs and who lives close by and would be very involved.

The big problem is that OWNER A still wants to be in the league. He has no social life, so fantasy is one big outlet for him. He has promised again that he will be more engaged this season. I think he will take this ousting very hard, and will feel awkward around guys he considers good friends in the future (and vice versa). My thought now is...Is Fantasy really this important?? Of course, we do all put $250 in the league.

We put it to a league vote (replace Owner A?), and it split...3 yes, 4 no, and 2 guys who are new and don't want to be controversial so said "whatever".

As an owner and commish...I put everything to a vote and try to make sure that everyone's voice is heard equally.

So....Would you replace OWNER A?

The guy has been in the league for 8 years. He won the championship two years ago. He pays his league entree fee every year.Why in God's name would you have even considered letting your league vote on whether or not to kick the guy out of the league. That is bush league. If I was Owner A I would quit this sorry ### league.

i totally agree. the guy won the superbowl 2 years ago, and has submitted a line-up every week. WTF do you want. for you to even think about it, is inexcusable. way to defend your friend and league mate. i can't believe you actually put it to a league vote. i'd tell you, and the other 3 sorry ### owners what to do with that league.

 

[CBower4545]

You are right and that was my fault. I decided to put it to a vote to see if it was even an issue first, before telling him. Partly because he has a VERY soft personality and would have a hard time speaking up for himself. When 3 negative votes came in, we told him and found out how upset he was.

UPDATE: Unbelievable...but the league just imploded. Done after 10 years. Oh well...probably for the best. Too many egos who can't understand how to compromise...and probably not a good commish.

Sorry to hear about the implosion. It is hard to keep a league together over the years. Life eventually gets in the way. As a commissioner I have made some dicey calls, I believe we all do. I have been fortunate enough that my owners have stuck with me. Just keeping a league together for 10 years is an accomplishment. Good Luck in your next league!

 

[Mystery Achiever]

sorry it went that way. as cbower said, ten years is a long time. and people's lives have undoubtedly changed a lot over that period. may be you can start over with a core of those people and some newer friends. i think you had a good commish btw!

 

[talongrey]

Too long for me to read and stay interested in the topic. My answer is Yes kick him, if you are already questioning it just kick him. That is all

First off, if you are not going to bother reading the post, don't answer the question. IMO you don't boot another owner for being busy with work.

 

[Warhogs]

No way do I kick him out. He pays each year, has been a member for 8 years, won the thing 2 years ago. If he is a real friend you should be able to talk to him and explain how some of the owners were upset about his lack of involvement in the past. Explain that you really want him in the league but he will need to stay active this season if he wants to continue playing past this season. A friend will understand this and you should have no problems.

 

[Browns Rule!]

How did the league implode? Did the people that wanted your friend out of the league decide to quit? Sometimes, in fantasy especially, I've seen it many times over the years, people get excited and say something they shouldn't and cause an uproar and everyone gets all excited. If I were you (I'm really just giving an opinion, not that my opinion is right at all), I would tell everyone in the league that the league will be put on hold for a couple days. Lock the site down if you can, and say after that time, you will get back to everyone. Hopefully by then everything will have cooled off. Good luck, it sucks when a league of friends has problems.

 

[Mark Wimer]

I hope this is the correct forum for this.I am in a major quandry as an owner/commish of a 10-team redraft league that is pretty serious and has been around for about 10 years.OWNER A has been in the league for about 8 of those 10 years. We are all pretty good friends, and see each other at games, etc. OWNER A moved an hour away from town about 2 years ago, got married, had children, and doesn't really see anyone anymore outside of the league other than myself and 1 other guy. He is a commercial fisherman (owns 3 boats), and is buried in work starting in October.3 years ago, OWNER A did a poor job of managing his team towards the end of the season...and ended up giving the owners that were playing him an advantage in the end who were playing him. We talked to him about this, and he promised to be a more responsible owner going forward.2 years ago, OWNER A won the Super Bowl!Last year, OWNER A started slow at 2-4, won 2 to get to 4-4, then lost his last 5 and averaged only about 60 points in a league where we average about 80. He then lost both Toilet Bowl games to finish last and with the 4th pick. His roster was a mixture of players performing poorly (Cadillac, Edge) and 2nd-tier players that he picked up earlier and never replaced. He had chances to pick up Free Agents and didn't, and had chances to start guys on his bench that were performing better than his starters and made some incorrect roster decisions. He DID turn in his lineup every week, and was available for Free Agency...just never picked anyone up past Week 7.So...naturally...some owners want him out. The owners pushing for it were never great friends with OWNER A in the first place, and are the ones who take the league very seriously and are involved in every league decision. They want a new owner, OWNER B, who is a good friend of theirs and who lives close by and would be very involved.The big problem is that OWNER A still wants to be in the league. He has no social life, so fantasy is one big outlet for him. He has promised again that he will be more engaged this season. I think he will take this ousting very hard, and will feel awkward around guys he considers good friends in the future (and vice versa). My thought now is...Is Fantasy really this important?? Of course, we do all put $250 in the league.We put it to a league vote (replace Owner A?), and it split...3 yes, 4 no, and 2 guys who are new and don't want to be controversial so said "whatever".As an owner and commish...I put everything to a vote and try to make sure that everyone's voice is heard equally.So....Would you replace OWNER A?

My solution would be - expand to a 12-team league, keep owner A, invite owner B in, find an Owner C, have a bigger, more competitive league and everyone wins, including the entire league, Owner A and Owner B. My .02.

 

[kensat30]

Back up your boy and let him play.

 

[The Ballhawk]

based on what you have said, you try to be fair to the league,

which means if there isn't a majority against him, he shouln't be booted.

especially given the fact that he hasn't actually broken any rules.

 

[jcjets]

Let's rephrase to this:

Player A participates, pays his dues, and turns in a line-up. should we kick him out?

What a ridiculous question.

 

[gump]

How did the league implode? Did the people that wanted your friend out of the league decide to quit? Sometimes, in fantasy especially, I've seen it many times over the years, people get excited and say something they shouldn't and cause an uproar and everyone gets all excited. If I were you (I'm really just giving an opinion, not that my opinion is right at all), I would tell everyone in the league that the league will be put on hold for a couple days. Lock the site down if you can, and say after that time, you will get back to everyone. Hopefully by then everything will have cooled off. Good luck, it sucks when a league of friends has problems.

The guys who wanted him out said that if he stayed, the league was going downhill and they wouldn't be in it (2 owners). I said "fine". The next thing you know, I was being accused of trying to manipulate the vote Owner A's way. I stopped the conversation, told them I was "done", and hung up. League over. I'm tired of being the one to solve all the problems while being accused of manipulation at the same time...no one else seems to have a clue what it takes to be a commish.I'm now not willing to be in a league with those 2, even though they are also two of my best friends. We are now pondering a Split League...8 teams in each...the winner of each league facing in the Super Bowl at the end. That way Owner A, myself, and the other supporter of his can do our own thing...and the other guys can still have an 8-man league with their new guy. Anyone ever try this? Sounds like a decent compromise (although I still can't believe they have taken this stance)...

 

[Tom Servo]

I would keep him. Work does get in the way for a lot of people. If he's a commercial fisherman, he's gotta strike when the iron's hot, so to speak. He's probably also in business for himself (haven't read other posts to know if so) which makes making $$ his first priority; even FF would have to come in after family, etc.

If he were sucking out loud every season, I would vote differently. Given he won a SB, it shows he has the capacity to be competitive when he has the time to devote to it.

 

[BigRed]

UPDATE: Unbelievable...but the league just imploded. Done after 10 years. Oh well...probably for the best. Too many egos who can't understand how to compromise...and probably not a good commish.

Frankly probably the best thing that could've happened from what I can tell. If those guys are much past the age of 16, they have bigger issues than that league.Get your fisherman friend and start up another league.