Can Brady now offer Financial Incentives to teammates for a Perfect Season?

[JoeSixPat]

I've been waiting for a resolution to Green Bay's "Bounty Gate" saga... I've not heard that the NFL has comedown hard on them or even offered a slap on the wrist yet. Seems to me that judging by the NFL's silence its ok for Brady and the Patriots to do the same thing now.

Whether its $500, $5,000 or $50,000 seems to me the principle is the same... so if and when Goodell turns a blind eye to Green Bay's bounties - or otherwise slaps them on the wrist - then Brady should have the "all clear" to offer some good sized bounties to his lesser paid teammates to further inspire them to remain "perfect".

Brady can afford $50k "bonuses" to some of his lesser paid teammates. Maybe Seymour wants to kick in a few bucks too? The immortality they'd gain, not to mention the endorsement deals would more than pay for their investment.

I say this half tongue in cheek but given my expectation that the League doesn't care as much about the Packers and other teams breaking rules as they do about the Patriots, there's no reason why the Patriots shouldn't do the same thing the Packers are.

Green Bay Bounty Hunters?
Posted by Philip Zaroo | MLive.com November 21, 2007 14:09PM
Categories: Opponents
Apparently the Packers are going to have some questions to answer as the NFL is investigating whether players offered payments to teammates as motivation for better performances.

Associated Press, November 19: League rules prohibit teams and players "from offering or accepting bonuses to a player for his or his team's performance against a particular team, a particular opposing player or players, or a particular group of an opposing team."
...
ESPN reported that Packers defensive backs offered to pay the team's defensive linemen $500 each if there were able to hold Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson under 100 yards rushing two weeks ago, and another $500 for holding Carolina to under 60 yards rushing as a team on Sunday.
Obviously, I have no idea if these accusations have merit. But, man, if I was making millions of dollars a year, how motivating would $500 be? I mean, let's say we all made a hundred grand per year. Would my offer of a finsky sway you to do something if you weren't going to do it anyway? Perhaps in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, but not here in the real world.

Jon Kitna doesn't have any problem with it, though. Not only does he think it's not a big deal, he says he can understand why it might be motivating if you're making minimum wage. (For the record, he's referring to the NFL's minimum wage of $275,000 or more, depending on your tenure; not so much the federal minimum wage of $5.85 an hour.)

ESPN, November 20: "I don't know if it is against the rules; if it is, it shouldn't be," the quarterback said Tuesday. "They're not paying people to go out and hurt somebody. They're just paying people to do their job." ... "If I'm a defensive lineman that's getting paid minimum [salary] to play this game, or a little bit lower salary, and I can earn an extra $500, shoot, you know what? That might inspire me to do more," Kitna said.
This certainly isn't the first time Kitna has heard of such things happening in an NFL locker room.

"I've heard of things in my past where, hey, if there's a tackle inside the 20 on a kickoff or something like that, they will throw $100 into the pot or whatever," Kitna said. "I don't know. It's nothing that I've seen in a long time."

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Brady can afford $50k "bonuses" to some of his lesser paid teammates. Maybe Seymour wants to kick in a few bucks too? The immortality they'd gain, not to mention the endorsement deals would more than pay for their investment.

My understanding is that season-long incentives that don't involve specific teams or specific players have always been considered OK. In other words, if Brady were to offer his OLs new trucks if they go 19-0, that would be perfectly legal, as far as the NFL is concerned. If he had made the same offer before the season, it'd be OK. But it's not OK for him to make it dependent on, say, recording 10 pancake blocks against the Eagles.

 

[ColtinIraq]

So - kind of like buying their pride or professionalism.

 

[PatsSteve1]

So if the Packers DB's had offered the $500 anytime they held ANY RB under 100 yards that'd be OK? The thing seems over blown but Goodell seems to go overboard anyway. The NFL is getting rule crazy.

 

[Brady to Brown]

So - kind of like buying their pride or professionalism.

I don't think you should say anything on this matter.

Your QB does Birthday party's as long as the $ is right.

 

[AStack75]

I don't think you should say anything on this matter.

Your QB does Birthday party's as long as the $ is right.

 

[Jr.]

Less than a month remove from the Superbowl???!!!! Wow!!!! All the money Manning made over his career and what he was making at that moment, 200K for a SWEET 16???!!!! He Could Have Done it for free atleast

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

Didn't the Pats promise not to franchise Samuel again if he plays a certain percentage or they win a certain number of games?
-----------------------------------------
Management to agent," we won't franchise him if the team wins between eleven and fifteen games..."
Agent - " That's great, we'll take it. He'll be in camp tomorrow"
Management to BB- " Now go out and win all 16 so we can franchise him again"

 

[FrontSeven]

He Could Have Done it for free at least

Have you been under a rock your whole life?

 

[AStack75]

Didn't the Pats promise not to franchise Samuel again if he plays a certain percentage or they win a certain number of games?
-----------------------------------------
Management to agent," we won't franchise him if the team wins between eleven and fifteen games..."
Agent - " That's great, we'll take it. He'll be in camp tomorrow"
Management to BB- " Now go out and win all 16 so we can franchise him again"

If he plays 60 percent of the defensive snaps or New England wins 12 games, Samuel will not be franchised again next year.

 

[Tunescribe]

If he plays 60 percent of the defensive snaps or New England wins 12 games, Samuel will not be franchised again next year.

Well, it looks like our first-round draft pick is going to be spent on a cornerback then.