NFL Constitution and Bylaws

[Fencer]

• http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...n-and-bylaws-not-yet-relevant-to-deflategate/ is a Mike Florio article citing the NFL Constitution and Bylaws.
• http://www.nfl.com/static/content/public/static/html/careers/pdf/co_.pdf is a link from that article to an actual copy of the NFL Constitution and Bylaws.
• One clause says nobody but the officials should be in the officials' locker room. Florio and an NFL source point out that that rule is violated extensively before every game, so it should not be taken literally/seriously.
• Another rule seems to prohibit teams in any way criticizing the league or its personnel. Florio thinks that the Pats have probably crossed the line on that one by now, but notes that the league of course has not yet tried to stop them.

What I don't know is whether that clause prohibits lawsuits for defamation (I doubt it) or whether something else in the document prohibits them (more likely, but I haven't looked).

 

[VrabelMayeWin]

Reiss tweeted about the third bullet and wrote it up on the blog. Shouldn't matter how often it's violated, the rules should be the rules and, evidently, the NFL doesn't care about the rules.

 

[Fencer]

The parts that say "The Commissioner can do anything to anybody and nobody can challenge the Commissioner on anything" start on Page 28 and peak around Page 31.