NFLsim League Rules:
Policies and Procedures

League Officials:

Commissioner: Freddy Reyes
Trade Committee: Mike Buchanan, Jacob Busofksy, Justin England, Dan Lascoskie, Kevin Moring
AFC President:  Jacob Busofsky
NFC President:  Mike Buchanan
Webmaster:  Mark Cooley
 

The NFLsim League Officials will primarily be responsible for answering questions and discussing league issues that are brought forth by any NFLsim owner. These league issues can be anything that an NFLsim owner brings to the league's attention be it creation or alteration.

Introduction:

Goal: To create a league that resembles NFL football as closely as possible on a personal computer using .400 Software Studio's Total Pro Football 2004.

Requirements
1. Ownership
2. Schedule
3. Rosters and Transactions
4. League File Management

Requirements:

● All NFLsim owners must have a unique licensed copy of .400 Software Studio's Total Pro Football 2004.

● Owners must have a valid working email address.

● Owners must be available on either AIM or ICQ.

1. Ownership:

1.1  Ownership Contracts and Transfers
Once an owner joins the league and is given a team, that owner must stay with the team for a minimum of three seasons (assuming the owner remains in the league that long).  Once three seasons have passed the owner will have an opportunity to switch to any available team during the off-season, just upon completion of the Super Bowl.  Available teams will be primarily determined by a "Post-Super Bowl Owner Roll Call" (see 1.3).

1.2 Transfer Approvals
Any ownership changes must be approved by the league and will not be considered until the off-season has begun and the preceding owner has been completely removed.

1.3  Owner Roll Call
On random occasions the Commissioner will send out an email titled "NFLsim: Roll Call".  Owners will be required to reply to this email before the next scheduled sim or the next off-season event (unless another specific time is stated in the email).  These emails will primarily be used for when a handful of owners are under suspicion for inactivity.  Owners who fail to respond to a Roll Call in the time permitted will be removed from the league.

NOTE:  All owners are expected to take part each week. If you cannot take part in any given week, notify the commissioner of this and when you expect to return.

1.4  Owner Media Responsibilities
All NFLsim owners will be required to produce one form of media for the league each NFLsim season.  This can be something as simple as a team write-up, or something with a little more depth (recommended) as a league preview, playoff preview, mock draft, or a MP3 radio show.  These are just a few of the many examples.  If an owner fails to meet this requirement that owner WILL be removed from the league on the first violation.
NOTE:  This rule is no longer being enforced as of February 11, 2004.  Although no longer enforced, league involvement is greatly encouraged.

1.5  "3 Strikes" Policy
If an owner fails to send in an export or fails to notify the commissioner that their team has no changes for the week that owner will be given a strike.  If an owner accumulates 3 strikes consecutively that owner will be removed from the league.

NOTE:  If you plan on being away from the league for an extended period of time please notify the commissioner.  You will not be penalized or removed from the league if you notify the league of your absence ahead of time.

2.  Schedule:

2.1 Sim Format
The NFLsim will sim twice a week on Sunday @ 7am EST and Wednesday @ 7am EST with personnel changes due no later than then the time of the sims.  A pre-sim league file will be uploaded 42 hours prior to each sim.  For the Wednesday sim, the pre-sim upload will occur each week on Monday at 7pm EST.  For the Sunday game, the pre-sim upload will occur Friday at 7pm EST.

2.2  Weekly Schedule

(All times are Eastern Standard)

● A new league file will be posted shortly after each simmed game.

3.  Rosters and Transactions:

3.1  Trading

        ●  Trades must be sent to the commissioner via PM on the forum by both owners involved in the deal in order to be accepted and processed.

        ●  The trade deadline, like the NFL, will be week 6 of the regular season.  Trades cannot be completed after this time.

        ●  Any trades completed before the pre-sim upload of the current NFLsim week will be included for use in the upcoming NFLsim slate of games.

        ●  Any trade completed between the pre-sim upload and game time for that NFLsim week will be processed just prior to the games being simmed and
        the traded players will be placed on the inactive roster of their new team.  This is to simulate the real life effects of joining a new team just days before
        a game.  Make sure that any player you've traded is not a part of your 46 man active roster and is not on your teams depth chart or else I
        will have problems running your team's game and will have to "auto" your depth charts after moving the traded players to their new
        teams inactive roster.

        ●  Injured players may not be traded until they are fully recovered from injury (in order to pass a physical).

        ●  NFLsim owners have the right to protest any deal completed by the league.  Protests will be reviewed by the league officials and resolved before the
        upcoming sim.

3.2  Free Agency
        During the regular season free agency will be handled via the league forum and manually updated by the commissioner.

        FIRST THREE DAYS OF FREE AGENCY ARE DETERMINED BY RANDOM WAIVER WAIVER WIRE ORDER.  AFTER THE FIRST THREE DAYS IT IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVED ON FREE AGENTS LIMITED TO TWO PER DAY.

        ●  Free agents will be signed on a first come first serve basis except in the case of a bidding war (see below).

        ●  Any player who is a free agent and who is currently not on waivers or part of a bidding war can be signed.

        ●  Free agents must be signed to the exact contract they are requesting during the regular season.

        ●  It is the GM's responsibility to determine whether a player has cleared waivers, is not involved in a bidding war and is eligible to be offered a contract
            as an unrestricted free agent.

        ●  Consider a free agent signed once a GM has posted a request on the league forum.  The only time this is not the case is when a player is eligible
            for a bidding war.

        Bidding War
        When a player is cut by the Commissioner just before a sim for the sole purpose of successfully running the sim (if a team has an invalid roster etc)
        that player will skip the waiver system and become a free agent in which case any team's GM may sign the player on a first-come first-serve basis
        after the scheduled sim time has passed.

        If, within 18 hours of the scheduled sim time, the original signing is disputed by another owner wanting to sign that player then that player will enter
        into a bidding war.

        The bidding war will begin when the 2nd team shows interest by offering a specific contract to the player greater than the 1 year deal the player would
        have signed had the signing gone uncontested.  Bidding wars will last 24 hours from the time the 2nd team initiates the war.  The player will sign with
        the highest bidding team at the end of the 24 hour bidding war.  Once the 2nd team initiates the war any other team in the league may bid.

        All offers must be for one year only.  Any offer that gives the player a bigger role on the team will trump any offer with a lower role regardless of
        monetary value.

        Note:  Any player signed before the pre-sim upload of the current NFLsim week will be added to their team's roster in the next upload for use in that
        teams next game export.  Any player signed after that point (but still before the next game) will be added just prior to the sim and will be placed on a
        teams inactive roster unless instructions are given by the team's GM to do otherwise.

3.3  Waivers
        Every time you release a player from your roster that player must pass through waivers before he is officially released.

        ● A player will remain on waivers for one of the four 42 hour blocks in a given week.  The four times a player can clear waivers are:

                                        12pm Sunday
                                        6am Tuesday
                                        12am Thursday
                                        6pm Friday

        Note:  The block in which a player has cleared waivers is dependent upon which block the player was waived within (always the same block).

        ● Do not abuse the NFLsim waiver system by waiving a player just minutes before a waiver period ends.  Owners who are suspected of abusing
        this policy may be penalized by the league to the best of the league's discretion.

        ● To officially place a player on waivers, create a thread in the Waivers forum with the players position and name as the title.

        ● Any team may put a claim in on a player.  If only one team puts a claim on a player that team gets the player.  When two or more teams put a
        claim out on a player the factors determining which team gets the player goes as follows:

                                        For the first six weeks of the season the previous year's final standings will be used to determine the waiver priority order with
                                        the worst league record having top priority.  After week four the current season standings will be used.

                                        TIEBREAKERS

                                        1)  Least points scored (year-to-date)

                                        2)  Most points allowed (year-to-date)