Resolve this issue for me.

[Favre.com]

So in my main league we've had a guy who is a friend of mine that has been trash talking all year. He went from first place to 2nd, the3,rd and now he got extremely screwed by the Reggie Bush performance and dropped to 5th (with one game left, 4 teams make the playoffs.)

His destiny is not in his hands anymore, he needs one of the two teams (3rd, 4tth seeds) to lose to make it, if he loses he is also out.

The third seed is playing a guy who is already clintched the 2nd seed. The 4th seed is playing a guy who is mathematically out. Both these guys have been going at it with the friend I have been talking about all season.

I turn on my computer this morning to see out league messege board go off. Posts back and fourth. Turns out the 2nd place that clintched says he is benching his lineup just so 5th place (my friend) wouldn't make it. Also, since the team that is out also has a piece in this, he decides to bench his good players for bad ones (Steve Smith on the bench for Nate Washington, etc...).

I don't beliebve in throwing games on purpose, especially if you have no business since your own fate is decided. The guys who want to throw say its fine since they field whatever lineup they wish. It is against Yahoo rules (as well as my own) I believe , but am not sure. Also, if the team that benched his entire lineup said that if thats against the rules, he will just put in WW players instead. I wanted to propose that they must field their best lineup, and lock their teams as of saturday night so no funny business happens, what should I do?

[BrutallyHuge]

No tanking games. They're acting like babies.

Field your best lineup every week. If they can't handle that, tell them to find another league next year. There's no room for crap like this in a friendly fantasy football league.

[Matthias]

Well, you know my stance on it: it's completely unacceptable.

There's a variety of responses you can try:
(1) Just lock their rosters and put in their best team.
(2) Announce that to prevent any fear of funny business, people can set their rosters any way that they like, but it will be the same one for the first round of the playoffs.
(3) Tell them to grow up and to beat the motormouth fair and square.
(4) Announce that anyone who acts contrary to the Yahoo rules of good sportsmanship will be DQ'ed from the playoffs and as many replacements teams as needed will be promoted to make it.

[dream_017]

Agree(BH) and agree(Matthias)

[Favre.com]

Our league is getting out of control about this issue now. The two team who weant to tank are doing it 100% out of spite (they even admit to it) however they say that since I never stated in the beginning of the season (I kinda thought it was implied) that they can't do that it would be cheating to change rules in the middle of the league.

*I forgot to mention, all this does not affect my team one way or another, I have clintched first place about 3 weeks ago.

[Matthias]

Tell them you didn't think you had to stipulate explicitly that they wouldn't be donkeys.

[awwchrist]

tell them that if they throw their games on purpose by benching their players, they'll forfeit their spots in the postseason.

[Twisted Sister]

Not everything can be stipulated in the rules... when in doubt, the commish is the ruling authority.

So what if the guy's been talking trash, it's part of the game.

FYI - there is a HUGE difference between a playoff bound team tanking to improve his playoff matchup and this nonsense.

The guy who is out of the playoffs... set his roster and lock his team. Easy solution. Have no regrets about this action.

However, I would be hesitant to touch the roster of someone in the playoffs... it could affect their matchups.


BTW - this is against your rules. As long as you have anything against collusion in your rules... this is multi-team collusion against 1 owner.


Lay down the hammer

[Infidel]

I like this solution:
2) Announce that to prevent any fear of funny business, people can set their rosters any way that they like, but it will be the same one for the first round of the playoffs.

Trash talking is one of the reasons we play. Because someone does a lot of it, that should be appreciated and encouraged. To then "punnish" him by colluding against him is behavior I would not encourage in a 4 year old girl. Tell the cheaters to take off the little pink panty thongs put on some boxers a grow a pair.