[sportscurmudgeon]

Daseal:

The answer to your question is that it is too soon to tell.

IF the Redskins owe Arrington the money and the reason they owe him the money is some kind of paperwork misunderstanding or something like that, then the penalty will not be severe - unless his signing last season put the Skins over last year's cap and screwed all that up. Then I have exactly no idea what the collective bargaining agreement calls for since that season is over and done with. :confused:

HOWEVER, if the Skins owe Arrington the money AND the determination is that they deliberately filed the wrong numbers with the league to keep extra cap room for themselves OR if they owe Arrington the money because it was found to be an enforceable agreement that was not reported to the league purposely, then the Redskins will likely get the hammer dropped on them.

The NBA precedent of losing 4 first round picks over a 5 year span will not apply here but you can look for some or all of the following penalties IN THE WORST CASE:

1. Arrington is a free agent and cannot resign with Washington.

2. Loss of draft picks (first round pick this year and maybe another first rounder sometime in the next two years). If the case is decided after this year's draft, then possibly first round picks in 05 and 07.

3. Huge fine.

4. League oversight of EVERY Washington contract for the next several years meaning that signings and trades will not be finalized quickly because the league will take time to review every detail with all parties.

5. Person(s) found to have deliberately misled the league to circumvent the cap (or to try to circumvent the cap) could be suspended and not allowed to have contact with the team for X years. Yes, that could be Danny Boy. Remember when the league made Eddie deBartolo stay away from the 49ers for two years while he was under indictment and he subsequently lost control of the team to his sister and his brother-in-law?

As I've said before, this case is probably not much of anything other than a misunderstanding about money which can be settled pretty directly. But on the slim chance it is something more sinister, we need to pay close attention...