NFL contacting undrafted rookies' agents in violation of lockout rules, report claims

Six NFL player agents told Pro Football Weekly that teams were contacting them in regard to their undrafted free-agent clients after the draft.

Associated PressSome agents for players (those in photo not among them) whose names weren't called at the NFL draft are, reportedly, getting calls from teams - those teams in violation of NFL lockout rules.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The three-day, seven-round NFL draft concluded last Saturday night.

Under normal circumstances, teams would have signed 10 to 20 undrafted players in the following days. Everyone understands that many undrafted players are worthy of being selected, but weren't for a combination of factors such as team needs, surprise picks, etc.

In fact, many players would rather not be among the final players drafted, but instead, be able to choose the best fit for them among the several teams courting them in the hours following the draft.

Circumstances, though, are different this spring. The NFL lockout prevents teams from conducting their normal business, such as player transactions and signings. The draft was the business-as-usual exception.

Pro Football Weekly, in a story reported a couple days ago but really gaining traction this weekend, writes that some teams are contacting undrafted players' agents in a violation of NFL lockout rules.

Eric Edholm begins his report for PFW: 

Six NFL agents, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told PFW that teams were contacting them in regard to their undrafted free-agent clients after the draft, a violation of NFL lockout rules.

With the league in the midst of a work stoppage, NFL teams are not allowed to have any contact with any undrafted players. In a typical season, teams will contact undrafted players and their agents in a mad dash at the conclusion of the draft in order to sign them during a free-for-all period.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello confirmed to PFW that any contact between teams and agents or players currently would constitute tampering.

Of the six agents that PFW spoke to, three said that representatives of NFL clubs even used personal cell phones to contact the agents following the conclusion of last weekend's draft, as opposed to calling from team-issued lines where evidence of tampering might be easier to trace via phone records in any official NFL audit. Two more agents said that teams called players directly in a few cases.

Source: http://www.cleveland.com/ohio-sports-blog/index.ssf/2011/05/nfl_contacting_undrafted_rooki.html

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