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Cris Collinsworth tried. He tried to prevent Raiders’ coach Jon Gruden from committing a breach violation. Gruden didn’t seem to care.
Collinsworth, who hosts a podcast featuring 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman, had Gruden as a guest. Collinsworth mentioned the fact that former Seahawks defensive coordinator, Gus Bradley, arrived in Las Vegas as a defensive coordinator, before pointing out the elephant that enters the room when a player hired by one team is talking directly to a coach from another team.
“I know there are adulteration rules and I don’t want to mention anything that could create a problem for you, because I know that you have been fined a few shekels over the years,” said Collinsworth.
“Yes, I do,” said Gruden. “I was fined, I was punished very, very harshly. Richard Sherman, if you are a free agent, what they say you are, we are looking for an alpha presence in our secondary. Someone who could play this Hawk 3-press technique with the reading step. If you are available and interested, maybe you and I can meet at some point off the air. “
Sherman said in reply: “There is a conversation to be had, for sure. I am free and available today. “
As an unsolicited and unsolicited general manager said in response to Gruden’s comments: “This is a blatant tampering.”
And that is. Here is the relevant language, from page 5 of the NFL Anti-Tampering Policy: “Any declaration of public or private interest, whether qualified or not, in a player from another club to that player’s agent or representative, or to a member of the media news, is a violation of this Anti-Tampering Policy. (Example of prohibited comment: ‘He is an excellent player and we would love to have him if he were available, but another club has his rights.’) ”
Gruden went further than that. Your comments assume that Sherman is already a free agent. He is not. He remains under contract with the 49ers until March 17, when the new year of the league begins and he becomes a free agent.
By email, the NFL declined to comment.
Whether the league really does anything about it remains to be seen. Sometimes they don’t, sometimes they do. In that case, how can they not? It is as open and obvious as it looks; even if the 49ers don’t plan to keep Sherman, they have their rights until March 17. He is not free. It is not available.
And Gruden, who has been in the NFL for decades, should know that. Otherwise, there is a good chance that it will soon do so.