In my league I was the division winner in my two division ESPN league. Before the season started the commisioner stated that our rule was for a tie to be settled by bench points. As many of you know, in the post season the rules change- and the commisioner has the ability to change the rules. ESPN guidelines state that if a rule is to be changed for the playoffs it should be done before the first round of the playoffs. As this rule was NOT changed prior to the playoffs, the rule set in the system was for the person with the most regular season points to advance to the next round in the event of a tie...
Well, last week I tied in my league. Instead of accepting the rules as the playoff rules designated, the commissioner retroactively goes back and takes me out of the final championship matchup by changing the rules to bench points thus chalking me up to a loss.
I would love to get everyone's opinion on this matter. Please post and have your friends post ASAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Custom League Playoffs: Tie-Breaker for Playoff Games The system does not observe your league's Regular Season tiebreaker rule during the playoffs. Rather, in the event that two teams have the same number of points at the conclusion of their playoff game, the system tiebreaker awards the win to the higher seeded team. Note: As with everything in the playoffs, the league manager has the ultimate say on which teams advance using the "Edit Playoffs" page. To this point each league can establish their own tiebreaker system (IE, Most points from QB) with the league manager advancing the team which wins it. If your league uses its own playoff tiebreakers we highly recommend pre-defining them and posting them prominently on the League Office page.
The system will automatically process the entire playoffs – based on the League Settings described above and specifics listed below – without your league manager having to edit anything. However the league manager has the ultimate power to edit each playoff matchup. This said, each league manager should carefully examine the View Playoffs page and use the Edit Playoffs page to make any necessary adjustments before the first-round of the playoffs begin.
I would definitely say something. Thats just outright cheating. I don't know about league rules, but it sounds immoral to be changing it after the fact. I'd tell him that you ain't coming back to the league unless he changes it back to the way it was when the playoffs started. You have to at least partly fault a system that would allow anyone to make changes like that after the week has started. Whats to stop that commish from changing the ruling when he sees doing that will get him a win (is that what he did?). I can't believe that ESPN would even allow anyone to do that... not too impressed with them from out here. Good luck.
Yeah, this is just awful ethics by the league commissioner. The rules are plainly available and viewable for everyone. The tiebreakers change in the playoffs. That's the way it was set up at the beginning of the year and that's the way it should have stayed. If there was going to be a change made, that change should have occured before the matchup in question. To change it retroactively isn't anything that doesn't deserve to be called cheating.
Might not be fair, but IMO the commish is well within his rights according to ESPN rules. Yes, the default tie-break for playoffs is higher seed, but each time it says that the league manager has the ultimate say.
Did your commish try to discuss anything before changing the tie-break to bench points or did he just do it? What has he said after you complained?
Just an update here: firstly, the league commissioner was not playing me in this matchup. And yes the rules do state that the Commish is well within their rights to change the rules- however, also according to ESPN rules as stated above straight out of the ESPN rules- it should be done BEFORE THE PLAYOFFS BEGIN.
The tie breaker rule was set up for "the season." During the season (which to me is weeks 1-15 in fantasy football not the playoffs) that was the case. The fact of the matter is that the commish didn't make that the rule for the playoffs which the commish had 14+ weeks to do plus any time before the season started. Just as in real football, the rules are different in the playoffs. But the rules are the rules- we were all playing on a level playing field, and to go and make a one off exception AFTER THE FACT in my eyes is unsubstantiated.
Ok this is the guy that was placed in the finals instead of Jhill. This is the email we received when we started the league.
Before our draft next Thursday, just wanted to get some of the general rules answered. If you can't find the answer to your question below, I do not care. Cry about it to someone who does. Let the games begin....
1. Team fee equals $75.00. Cash preferable or check made out to "Robert Cerbana" acceptable. 2. Weekly $30 payout to highest point total; tie-breaker, if necessary, is cumulative point production of bench. 3. Top Six teams make playoffs with top four teams winning a portion of the money. (1st = $250; 2nd=$125; 3rd=$75 & 4th=$60) 4. Regular season winner of each division receive 1st round bye in the playoffs. 5. $1.00 transaction fee, payable in cash only, for EACH free agent move or player trade. 6. Weekly payout to highest point total for weeks 14-16 equal to 33% of transaction fee pool.
So after watching the fallout of myself and Jhill tieing everyone was under the impression that I should move on, because my bench points were higher than his. Everyone was also confused when they saw Jhill move on, let me say this was my first time(my rookie year in FF) as well as the commish's first time(not rookie but never on ESPN) playing on ESPN. So when they had realized the playoff rules had changed from what had been put forth as the stated league rules the change was made. I thought the change was completely fair but I profit from it so I am not exactly unbiased.
Where to begin in this hodgepodge of disenchantment-- Firstly, AVW don't speak for the masses to try to convey your view point in fact, a majority of our league DOES NOT agree with this ruling- if you asked around as I have you would know that. Secondly, I shouldn't be penalized because the commish didn't do his job. We were on a fair playing field and the rules were changed after the fact. Not fair, and I won't be participating in this league next year. This is not the BCS and their were rules that were in place with the system for the playoffs that were changed after the fact. And just so you know AVW as someone who has been involved in FF for many years and been in many league including ESPN- the majority of sentiments reflected on this page are those of the overwhelming majority of fantany players out there- this isn't fair.
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by jhill@esurg.com » Wed Dec 19, 2007 6:27 pm 
