The NFL is investigating the Atlanta Falcons for tampering, owing partly to remarks made by Kirk Cousins shortly after signing with the team, but the quarterback appears to believe the investigation will reveal little.
During his press conference earlier this week, Cousins was asked about the status of the Falcons’ tampering investigation. He claimed there was “not a whole lot there.”
“The league is still going through that,” Cousins said, according Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “Okay, I’ll let them do it. But there’s not much there.
Cousins may be fantasizing. There is almost no doubt Atlanta broke tampering rules before signing Cousins. We know this because the 35-year-old admits to having direct communication with Falcons members before league regulations allowed it. Even though it is typical for teams to sign free agents before the legal tampering window opens, there is a “don’t ask, don’t tell” ethos prevalent across the league.
Cousins also revealed that Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts started recruiting him “weeks” before free agency began. The NFL normally ignores player-to-player tampering, but Cousins sought the probe by discussing it so openly.
It would be surprising if the Falcons did not face some form of punishment for tampering. They are not the only team being investigated.
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