The NFL has been investigating allegations of tampering against the Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons for a few signings that took place at the start of NFL free agency. On Tuesday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was asked to address them – though he had a somewhat predictable response.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Goodell was asked about the incidents involving the Eagles’ signing of Saquon Barkley and the Falcons’ signing of Kirk Cousins. Penn State head coach James Franklin recently said that Barkley was speaking to the Eagles prior to his contract with the Giants expiring, while Cousins himself told the media that he had spoken to the Falcons before his contract with the Vikings was up.
But Goodell wouldn’t comment on the progress, stating that he does not give updates until an investigation is concluded. But he said that investigators began checking the allegations “immediately.”
“I usually don’t get an update until it’s concluded,” Goodell said. “I’m sure they are making progress. They were hard at work at it immediately.”
Punishments for tampering can range from fines to forfeiture of draft picks and the NFL has relieved several teams of their picks for doing so in recent years.
Of course, for every punishment that has been levied, there is an incident of alleged tampering that may not have been punished as harshly. So whether the Eagles and Falcons are punished or not, there is bound to be a lot of complaining about the treatment and unfairness of it all.