Owner trying to throw Week 13 game (1 Viewer)

[doowain]

In a league that I run on MFL with guys from here and Ants, I have an owner that has purposely tried to throw this week's game (Week 13). He is currently in the lead for the number one pick next year but he is only in the lead by 1 Victory Point.

This is why I make this accusation:

1. He dropped his only kicker and is NOT starting one.

2. He started both Brandon Jackson and Garret Wolfe over Adrian Peterson (MIN)

3. He left Andre Johnson on the bench and started James Jones

On top of that, this week he wrote in the League Chat "run DMC comin' my way". So clearly, he is trying his best to get that #1 pick.

What do I do here as commissioner? No way I can let him just tank like this. What is the precedent on situations like this? I've never had it come up before as the only other league I run is with friends, so we are all honest. Do I make the executive decision and put in his best lineup? Do I just make him start a kicker and leave the rest alone?

I don't want the rest of the league upset at his antics and I want to make the right call.

All of your help is greatly appreciated.

 

[EBF]

Ideally, you'd have rules in place to deal with a situation like this. If I were in your shoes I might just kick the guy out of the league. There's really no reason to start Garrett Wolfe or Brandon Jackson unless you're trying to lose.

I don't have any problem with teams rebuilding, but to uphold the integrity of the league you need to try to put your best lineup forward each week. If you don't have a rule in place to deal with this situation then I would suggest raising the issue with the other owners in your league and making a decision from there.

 

[[scooter]]

Do you have a rule in place to prevent this? Otherwise, leave it alone.

 

[doowain]

Do you have a rule in place to prevent this? Otherwise, leave it alone.

You mean a rule other than common sense and sportsmanship? Then, no, I didn't set a rule.

 

[[scooter]]

Do you have a rule in place to prevent this? Otherwise, leave it alone.

You mean a rule other than common sense and sportsmanship? Then, no, I didn't set a rule.

Then leave it alone. Maybe your definition of "common sense" is something along the lines of "peace and love and being nice to everyone", but mine is more along the lines of "improve your team by any legal means available".

 

[jeter23]

Kick him out, easy decision.

 

[Limp Dogg Bizkits]

If there is not a rule in place, then you should leave it alone.

 

[Black]

Take a league vote. If the league believes he is tanking, take away his

privelged #1 draft slot (move him to last).

 

[kellumsboys]

easy !

contact him and tell him he has 2 choices.

1 - change lineup to field best possible team

2 - leave lineup like it is and not be a member of the league next year

 

[RC94]

Kick him out, easy decision.

 

[The Man Who Met Andy Griffith]

Honestly I would kick him out of the league. Tell him that the future owner will appreciate his efforts to land McFadden.

There is really no upside to having a person like that in a dynasty league.

 

[JPeso]

Honestly I would kick him out of the league. Tell him that the future owner will appreciate his efforts to land McFadden.There is really no upside to having a person like that in a dynasty league.

He would not be welcome back in any of my dynasties.

 

[bizkliz]

no rule = within the rules.

-biz-

 

[mbuehner]

Do you have a rule in place to prevent this? Otherwise, leave it alone.

You mean a rule other than common sense and sportsmanship? Then, no, I didn't set a rule.

This is entirely your own fault. Either there is a rule in place or there isnt. Its not like this is some unusual freak circumstance- EVERY keeper league goes through this EVERY season. Do a search for 'tanking' when you have a couple of hours to waste. I just dont have any sympathy anymore for commissioners who dont set up the obvious rules- heck there are a million threads every year about rules you should NEVER forget to establish. This is one of the top three. Unless you happen to have very specific language in your league charter about expectation of competition etc (which i assume you dont considering you are posting this thread) I dont see how you can punish an owner for something that isnt against the rules. I'd even argue by ignoring such an obvious and universal area of the rules you were de facto giving the go ahead for tanking. Sorry to be harsh but those are the cold hard facts.

 

[SSOG]

Take a league vote. If the league believes he is tanking, take away hisprivelged #1 draft slot (move him to last).

Leagues should have a rule like this. In the league that I commish, I have several "sportsmanship" rules which are designed as a catch all. They cover things like not making a good-faith effort to field your best possible lineup in every week, destroying competitive balance by cutting your best players, loaning players, etc. I also have a vague catch-all giving me the ability to rule on anything that isn't expressly covered in the rules, but which clearly violates the spirit of the rules, which can fly because it's a friendly league and everyone trusts me. Penalty for breaking the rules is forfeiture of draft picks.

 

[mbuehner]

Take a league vote. If the league believes he is tanking, take away hisprivelged #1 draft slot (move him to last).

Leagues should have a rule like this. In the league that I commish, I have several "sportsmanship" rules which are designed as a catch all. They cover things like not making a good-faith effort to field your best possible lineup in every week, destroying competitive balance by cutting your best players, loaning players, etc. I also have a vague catch-all giving me the ability to rule on anything that isn't expressly covered in the rules, but which clearly violates the spirit of the rules, which can fly because it's a friendly league and everyone trusts me. Penalty for breaking the rules is forfeiture of draft picks.

Exactly.

 

[Courtjester]

You don't kick him out.

Sadly enough, this is the way new leagues become great leagues.

When I started my league 17 years ago, our rule book was probably 3 pages long. It is probably closer to 14 pages now due to all the things that have happened over the years--some good--some bad.

If you have no rule in place that prohibits him from doing this, then he is operating within the confines of the rules (sure it sucks). But now next year, you will have a rule in place that discourages this--such as a rule that makes losing the league have such a bad consequence, that no one will want to have it happen to him. Like loser has to buy the food for the draft next year.

I remember when we first started, we didn't have a rule in place that stopped teams from trading a player to another team and then that team trading him back the following week. Seems pretty common sense not to let that happen, but we didn't have a rule in place that prohibited player loaning, so it had to stand for the 1st year--it didn't happen the second year.

You league will evolve and with it comes growing pains.

 

[bizkliz]

Honestly I would kick him out of the league. Tell him that the future owner will appreciate his efforts to land McFadden.There is really no upside to having a person like that in a dynasty league.

He would not be welcome back in any of my dynasties.

not being in any large rostered, long running dynasty/keeper leagues, im not an expert on the subject. naturally i am against throwing games with regards to shifting playoff seedings (and yes, we have a rule for this)...but it seems counter-productive to win games late in the year in these types of leagues, especially if you have a high potential to secure the top pick. isnt the overall strategy of rebuilding a bad team to build through the draft, i have known guys who linger in the 2-3 win category for a couple of years before they build up enough talent to finally compete.i can agree, that morally its not cool, but if you dont have the proper parameters set, then this guy is in compliance.-biz-

 

[dogtooth]

I think not having a PK on his roster would give him an illegal roster. Put it to a vote and get some rules in place for next year. As commissioner, you have every right to act if you see obvious tanking.

 

[fsufan]

Take a league vote. If the league believes he is tanking, take away hisprivelged #1 draft slot (move him to last).

this is the right way to do it if there is no ruledo you have a rule like thisAt anytime, the commissioner reserves the right to take any action to correct any conduct that is determined to be detrimental to the competitive balance of the league

 

[mbuehner]

this is the right way to do it if there is no rule

If there is no rule the right way to do it is to live with it. Thats why we have rules to begin with, right? So there arent arbitrary, unpredictable rulings by the powers that be? Now I agree, if there is some catch all wording in the rules about the Commish having the authority to change the rules in the interest of competition, there is an out (and every league SHOULD have this kind of wording).I'm not understanding the people who think its ok to veto this move- much worse kick him out of the league. If your rules dont specify that this is wrong how can you punish him be establishing a rule ex post facto? This issue is clearly NOT black and white as this thread proves. There are plenty of leagues, particularly higher level leagues, that absolutely allow tanking in your teams own bets interest. If you think about it in a dynasty format, by NOT tanking you are not doing everything in your power to improve your team. How is that in the interests of competition? You can believe in that logic or not, but i dont think you can automatically assume tanking is a captical crime and impose the metaphorical death penalty for it.