I'm with the packers on this one
Mike of Eau Claire, Wis., notes that the Packers acknowledged last year that receivers creating a "reverse bounty" for dropped passes last season and writes: Not exactly a bounty as it was not done by the Packers or coaches, but not too far removed. I see a distinction but I wonder if this might be too close to the line now being drawn.
Kevin Seifert: Yes, as ESPNMilwaukee.com's Jason Wilde reported last season, Packers receivers organized a system where a $100 Best Buy card was contributed for every dropped pass. That's a little different than a bounty system, and certainly much less harmful. But if the players eventually disbursed the cards to each other, it would technically count as what Goodell referred last month as "non-contract bonus payments."
These payments, even if they're a fraction of a player's base salary, circumvent the salary cap and could open the door to larger stakes in the future. Moving forward, Goodell has required each team to certify that no players receive non-contract bonus payments. Regardless, given the heightened tension of this issue, Packers players should find a non-financial way to hold each other accountable moving forward.
Also, doesn't it seem that the rule refers to the team as giving the non-contract bonus payments, or at least strongly implying so?e
