The NBA clarified its new tampering regulations on Friday, making a couple changes that will change how fines and punishments are handed down.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the NBA will begin treating players inducing other players to request trades as a tampering violation. There is one significant change that will make executives happy, however, as officials praising players on opposing teams will no longer be treated as tampering.
The league will also introduce a private tampering hotline to allow anonymous allegations of tampering to be reported.
The NBA has sent memo to teams with official tampering guidelines; some key points:
– Conduct from player inducing another player to demand trade will be violative of tampering.
– Isolated comments by team official praising another player will no longer be regarded as violation.— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 27, 2019
Additional key points in NBA’s official tampering guidelines sent to teams in memo on Friday:
– League will not confiscate phone/computer during its five random audits.
– New hotline created to allow teams and others with information to anonymously report potential violations. https://t.co/TbSh9URuc4— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 27, 2019
The news that devices will not be confiscated will be welcomed, though many still won’t be keen on the league sifting through private communications. Executives should also be pleased that general praise will no longer be a punishable offense, as a lot of really silly fines were levied in response to very innocuous statements.
