Monday was a tough day for two NFL franchises that ran afoul of the NFL rulebook last season.
First, the Atlanta Falcons were fined $350,000 and forced to concede a fifth round draft pick as a punishment for pumping in artificial crowd noise during their 2014 home games. The team's director of event marketing, Roddy White (yes, he shares his name with the team's star wide out), was fired in the wake of the controversy.
Meanwhile, out in Cleveland, the Browns' general manager Ray Farmer was suspended for the first for games of the upcoming season for violating NFL's electronic device policy. The Browns were also asked to cough up $250,000, although they at least held onto all their draft picks.
Farmer's sin was apparently texting the team's coaching staff from the press box during the middle of games, a clear no-no under the electronics policy guidelines.
"I respect the league's decision and understand that there are consequences for my actions," Farmer said in a statement, via NFL.com. "Accountability is integral to what we are trying to build and as a leader I need to set the right example. I made a mistake and apologize to Jimmy Haslam, Mike Pettine, our entire organization and our fans for the ramifications. Learning is a big part of who I am and I will certainly be better from this situation."
Falcons owner Arthur Blank and Browns owner Jimmy Haslem both stated that their teams would accept the league's decision and not seek an appeal.
Learn more about both the Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons' penalties below:
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