The 49ers organization was stunned by a league ruling Monday that it must forfeit a fifth-round draft choice and swap third-round picks with the Bears (Nos. 7 and 12), according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell handed down the punishment after determining that the 49ers contacted Lance Briggs' agent Drew Rosenhaus before the October trading deadline last season. San Francisco GM Scot McCloughan released the following statement shortly after receiving the commissioner's ruling.
"The 49ers organization respects Commissioner Goodell's ruling today, however we do disagree with it. This was not a malicious act; we believe that our intent was within the NFL guidelines. Going forward, we will take the necessary steps to ensure we are in compliance with the NFL's interpretation."
Reading between the lines, McCloughan appears to be saying, "You're out of your mind if you think we did anything wrong."
And quite honestly, a couple of phone calls to Rosenhaus, who has other clients on the team, doesn't seem like enough evidence to nail the 49ers. Citing a league source, Chronicle beat writer Kevin Lynch reported that the 49ers contacted the Bears about Briggs three hours before the Oct. 16 trade deadline. The Bears didn't return the message until three hours later, and by that time the 49ers had given up on the deal.
Surely the league has more evidence than two phone calls placed to Rosenhaus. A forfeiture of a fifth-round draft choice might not sound like much, but I assure you that the 49ers organization is floored by this decision.
And if you're wondering what effect the Patriots scandal will have on the league, this is a good place to start. Goodell wants teams to know that he's serious about enforcing tampering laws, and it appears he made an example out of the 49ers. If he starts checking the phone records of every team leading up to free agency, I'm afraid no one will have any second-day picks left.
