Ray Farmer texts sideline, faces fine, suspension, loss of pick

[The Legend]

So for those unfamiliar with the situation. When Kyle Shanahan decided to resign as Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator one of his biggest complaints that he levied on the Browns organization was that there was a high ranking official who would frequently text an assistant on the sideline to have that person relay play call suggestions, player personnel usage complaints and to generally criticize play calls.

Not only is this a good way to drive your coaching staff crazy and piss them off it is also apparently against league rules for someone sitting in the owner's box to send messages to coaches on the sideline through any electronic means. Now it's being reported that GM Ray Farmer was in fact the guy responsible for those messages.

And so it continues...

[Everlong]

I had no idea this was against league rules... would there be league rules against Jerry Jones being on the sidelines talking to coaches and players like he always used to then?

I mean yeah it's a stupid thing to do because it's micromanaging your team, but I'm not entirely sure why it'd be illegal.

[The Legend]

I had no idea this was against league rules... would there be league rules against Jerry Jones being on the sidelines talking to coaches and players like he always used to then?

I mean yeah it's a stupid thing to do because it's micromanaging your team, but I'm not entirely sure why it'd be illegal.

It's illegal because theoretically a person could sit in the owner's box with a pair of binoculars or a camera and do Spygate types of things, so no Jerry Jones or any other owner can go and stand on the sideline. It's about the vantage point one gains from sitting in a place coaches aren't supposed to be. So from that perspective the Browns didn't even really break the spirit of the rule, but it's still stupid.

[Everlong]

^Got it, that makes more sense then.

But yeah, what a stupid way to get your team in trouble.

[Messiah]

Damn, NFL filled with a bunch of cheatin' ass teams.

[Everlong]

Damn, NFL filled with a bunch of cheatin' ass teams.

Patriots deflate one ball by a barely significant amount, national headlines for weeks.

Falcons admit to cheating during games multiple times and nothing.

Browns are Browns, nothing.

[The Legend]

Damn, NFL filled with a bunch of cheatin' ass teams.

Patriots deflate one ball by a barely significant amount, national headlines for weeks.

Falcons admit to cheating during games multiple times and nothing.

Browns are Browns, nothing.

Come on now, a team cheats to get into the championship game in any league and it would be a huge deal.

[The Legend]

I figured I'd add this little tidbit that will totally shoot down Ray Farmer's cred at this point. Apparently, a large portion of the texts went something like this for the first three months of the season. Every time Brian Hoyer would make a mistake or a play Farmer didn't like he'd send something like this:

"Hey Mike and Kyle, why do you guys still have this bum in there? When are you going to start playing this awesome quarterback I got you in the draft this year?"

7 quarters of play and it's quite clear why they didn't play Johnny Manziel earlier.