ESPN Football League #972
i. policies
ii. playoffs
iii. tiebreakers

I. LEAGUE POLICIES
a. Basics:
ESPN's Rules of Fair Play will be upheld in this league.
It is the responsibility of each manager to read and understand all rules and settings and to be able to access the league site on equipment capable of utilizing the features ESPN incorporates into their fantasy games. All managers are required to provide a current e-mail address and will be expected to review all trades, vote in polls, and stay up-to-date on all league business.

b. Scoring:
The final scoring observed by ESPN will be the official method of determining winners in the weekly match-ups. ESPN rules state a scoring correction could occur up until the Saturday following the end of the match-up. Please be aware that ESPN scoring corrections could result in changes to the standings, the outcome of weekly matchups, or the playoff bracket.

c. Inactive teams:
It can be expected, to some degree and especially later in the season, for teams to become less involved if they fall out of contention. Please do your best to remain actively competitive.

d. Unruly teams:
Rarely is this a problem and I certainly do not foresee a problem in this league, but in the event that a manager begins to act in an unsportsmanlike manner for any reason, he will be issued a warning. A continuation of unsportsmanlike behavior will result in termination from the league. I am pretty liberal about what will be tolerated, but the bottom line is that this is my league and I won�t allow cheating, insults or threats which I deem to be of a serious or personal nature, or actions that may compromise the integrity of the league. Again, the rules ESPN has outlined for their fantasy games will be observed and upheld- ESPN's Rules of Fair Play

e. Dropped players:
ESPN's undroppable list will be used, but in a deep league like this, the standard undroppable list may not be long enough. Potentially his would only affect a very small number of players, and only rarely would ever be an issue. However, the can't cut list is there for a reason, and dropping good players without substantiated reason could hint at collusion or general malfeasance on the team owners part. If a drop is questionable, ALL league managers will have the option to call for an inquiry. An email will be sent to the manager making the drop, asking for an explanation. The player may be returned to his team if it is determined he has significant trade value and such a move is not being made in the best interest of the team. In the event such a drop occurs on a difficult bye week or in a match-up where a team is simply going all out to win, such as late in the season when there are playoff implications, only ESPN's do not drop list will be used. The dropped players will be available for anyone to add from waivers, so waiver priority could become quite important.

f. Accidentally dropped players:
If a manager drops a player by mistake, in the process of intending to drop another player to add a player from the FA, he must immediately announce that it was an accident by posting on the league board without delay of his error. If the drop was clearly an accident, the player will be returned to the team who dropped him at the earliest opportunity. If a manager takes advantage of this situation by streaming other players, or benefits from this action in any wrongful way, the dropped player may not be returned to his team.

g. Trades:
Four (4) votes against a trade in the 48 hour review period will result in the trade being vetoed. Remember that this is a money league and because of that there will likely be closer review of trades by some managers resulting in a greater degree of difficulty trading than you would typically have in a casual/free league.

h. Draft pick trading:
Draft pick trading will no longer be allowed in FSX1 leagues.

i. Bad trades:
In a league as active and knowledgeable as this one hopefully is, I doubt we have any really bad trades get through. In the event that this were to happen, that a terribly bad trade slipped through, the trade will be voided and the players returned to their teams. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the LM to protect the competitive balance of the league and any trade which undermines or compromises the fairness of play or integrity of the league will be voided.

j. Requested veto:
If it occurs that one of the teams involved in a trade requests that it be vetoed, for whatever reason, injury, demotion, etc, the league will consider this and vote appropriately. In this situation, the manager must depend on the league to veto the trade, because the LM will not overturn it. It is therefore important to retract dated trade offers and not to agree to trades without closely reviewing them. In a situation where one manager clearly has unknowingly agreed to a trade for damaged goods, requested a veto from the league, yet failed to receive it, the commissioner may with extreme discretion elect to turn back the trade.

k. Trading deadline:
The trading deadline will as near to the Nfl deadline as can be set, but not before it. NOTE: Trades accepted before the trade deadline but are scheduled to process after the deadline, will still process normally.

l. Draft order:
The draft order will be randomly generated by ESPN.

m. Tanking:
Tanking, for anyone unfamiliar with the term, occurs when a team does not try to win for the current season. Tanking is not allowed. All teams must attempt to maintain competitive rosters throughout the duration of the season.

II. PLAYOFFS
a. Playoff qualifiers:
Six teams will make the playoffs. The 4 division winners and the next two teams with the highest winning percentages. This is ESPN default setup and requires no LM editing.

b. Playoff selection:
Playoff selection and seeding will all be handled by ESPN in accordance with our league's settings. ESPN seeds the division winners 1-4 based on winning percentage. The two wild cards are the next two teams with the highest winning percentage and are seeded 5-6. The playoff bracket requires no LM editing.

III. TIEBREAKERS
a. To determine a tie between two or more teams to make the playoffs:
The league tiebreaker to determine playoff seeding is set to H2H.
ESPN will determine who advances if further tiebreakers are needed. No LM editing of the playoff bracket will occur. Whichever team ESPN has advancing from a tie may not be challenged
NOTE: The Overall record is based on winning percentage. Therefore, a team that is 8-5-0 and a team that is 7-4-2 have the same winning percentage, and thus would be considered tied for overall record.

b. To determine a tie tween two teams in a post season game.
If a playoff game, consolation ladder game, or the cg ends in a tie, ESPN will determine the winner. I believe they use high seed as the determiner, but whatever ESPN decides is what we go by and may not be challenged.
SINCE THE LEAGUE HAS GONE TO FRACTIONAL SCORING, A TIE GAME WOULD BE HIGHLY UNLIKELY, BUT STILL POSSIBLE. ESPN displays the scores only to the 10ths, but scoring to the 100ths is recorded. If you mouse over the final score, the true score will appear.