Official Constitution

Version 1.0

ESPN League Settings: http://games.espn.go.com/ffl/leaguesetup/settings?leagueId=606651 ESPN League: http://games.espn.go.com/ffl/leagueoffice?leagueId=606651 PAConnection.US Email the Commissioner: [email protected]

The PA Connection League 2013 Season Constitution Version 1.0

I.

Governing Body
A. The governing body of the PA Connection League will include the Commissioner, the Senior Regional Committee (SRC), and the General League. i. The Commissioner acts as the Executive Branch and has authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the league. 1. The Commissioner for the 2013 season is Ethan Baron. ii. The SRC acts as the legislative body that provides a check of power on the Commissioner while also being responsible for creating amendments to the Constitution. They represent the league members who have elected them. iii. The Commissioner and SRC share judicial review power. 1. Cases are presented to and ruled on by the Commissioner first. a. The Commissioner acts as the lower (District) Court. 2. The parties involved have a right to appeal to the SRC who will issue a final decision on the issue. a. The SRC acts as the Supreme Court. b. If there is a split vote by the SRC, the Commissioner will act as a tie breaker. 3. The Commissioner and the SRC have the power to bring cases to the judicial review process. 4. The Commissioner and SRC will have a separate sub-group to discuss and vote on issues presented to them. a. Decisions will be made public through the League Facebook Page, including the roll call vote from the SRC. iv. The General League consists of all league owners and votes in regards to League Trades, Draft Day selections, SRC elections, and other issues that may be presented to them. 1. The General League members may contact their SRC representative to bring cases to the judicial review process. B. During the season, the commissioner will be responsible to efficiently run the day-today operations of the PA Connection and will be required to interpret the appropriate course of action based on the terms outlined in the PA Connection Constitution and by ESPN Fantasy Sports. C. The SRC will be comprised of one league member from each Regional Division of the United States (thus the total number of SRC members is subject to change based on the demographics of the league and there is a possibility of a SRC with an even number of representatives). i. There are 9 Regional Divisions of the United States. 1. Regional Divisions are based on the Regional Divisions used by the United States Census Bureau. ii. 1 SRC member will be appointed as the Chair of the SRC. 1. The SRC Chair will be the most senior league member elected to the SRC and seniority will be determined by how many consecutive years the owner has participated in the PA Connection League. 2. Any ties in seniority will be broken by the league members regular season records dating back from inception of the PA Connection League. a. The final tie-breaker will be completed by points for over the course of the league members career. 3. Any member may choose not to be the SRC Chair and in which case the next most senior league member would be appointed.

The PA Connection League 2013 Season Constitution Version 1.0 iii. The other SRC members will represent the various regional divisions of the league. 1. Owners are only eligible to be elected in the regional division that they live in. a. To verify residence, the address for which participants use to receive prizes will be considered where they live. b. Eligibility will be released by the Commissioner before the online votes. c. All owners eligible for each regional division will be on the online ballot unless they submit an email or Facebook message to the Commissioner. 2. Each regional division will elect their own representative through an online vote held on the ESPN League Site for 72 hours. a. The Commissioner has a right to vote in their regional division. 3. Voting will occur after the PA Connections draft day and before the start of the NFL regular season. 4. Any owner who is elected to be a SRC member must be approved by the Commissioner. 5. The Commissioner does not count as a SRC member and his/her location has no bearing on the SRC make-up. 6. The term for a SRC member is one season. 7. Any owner elected may decide to not participate in the SRC in which case a special election will be held. a. If an owner leaves the league for any reason mid-season, the respective regional division will elect a new SRC member. b. If no owner in a region does not want to be part of the SRC before the first week of the season, that region will not be granted an SRC member for the full season. D. The SRC will be responsible for vetting any new rules or amendments to the league and present them to the Commissioner for approval and induction. E. The SRC is able to aid the Commissioner in difficult league decisions or as the Commissioner sees fit. F. The Commissioner does not have autonomous rule over the league and may be removed from office through a unanimous vote by the SRC, a 2/3 vote of the league, and only if there is a candidate ready to take over who has been voted into power with a 2/3 majority vote.

II.

League Members, Etiquette, Enforcement

A. League Composition i. There will be 12 teams for each season. ii. All interested owners from the previous season have the right to retain their team as long as they have not been banned by the senior regional committee (SRC). 1. Spots will be guaranteed for owners from the previous season for the first four weeks of registration. 2. Participating in the PA Connection league is completely voluntary. 3. To participate, each owner must pay their league fees in full and sign the Constitution Agreement one week before draft day. a. Exceptions may apply if a last minute addition to the League Composition is necessary.

The PA Connection League 2013 Season Constitution Version 1.0 iii. No owner may own more than one team. iv. A team may have 2 owners who have agreed to participate together. B. League Etiquette i. General Sportsmanship: By participating, you agree to abide by the general sportsmanship rules set forth in these rules and fantasy contests in general. You further agree to accept and abide by the rulings and the decisions of the Commissioner and SRC regarding all questions of sportsmanship. If an owner does not comply with the sportsmanship rules or a decision made by the SRC or Commissioner as defined in these official rules, or the Commissioner and SRC determines that an owner has acted in an unsportsmanlike manner, the Commissioner and SRC reserves the right to disqualify the owner and/or remove that owner from the league. All decisions by the Commissioner and SRC in sportsmanship and related matters will be final. 1. Sportsmanship can be conceptualized as an enduring and relatively stable characteristic or disposition such that individuals differ in the way they are generally expected to behave in sport situations. In general, sportsmanship refers to virtues such as fairness, self-control, courage, and persistence, and has been associated with interpersonal concepts of treating others and being treated fairly, maintaining self-control if dealing with others, and respect for both authority and opponents. Sportsmanship is also looked at as being the way one reacts to a sport/game. ii. Collusion: The Commissioner and SRC does not permit two or more owners in the same league to work together to better one team at the expense of the other (for example, making one-sided trades, one team dropping highly-rated players so the other team can pick them up, benching players or not setting a full line up, etc.). iii. Inappropriate League Communication: The Facebook and ESPN Message Boards, League News area, League Email Address and Chat Room are available for you to communicate with other league owners. No owner shall post or send messages (public or private) that could be construed as offensive to other owners. Inappropriate communication can also include spamming other league team owners with trade offers. iv. Full Commitment: All owners must show full commitment to their team throughout the entire season and playoff/consolation rounds. (for example, lineups must be set every week, full rosters must be kept, etc.) C. Enforcement and Punishments i. If any etiquette rule above (including unwritten etiquette) is broken or violated the process outlined in I.A.iii will be executed. ii. Owner bans will be instituted by the Commissioner and SRC based on a 2/3 vote and must be upheld for a minimum of 1 seasons. iii. Owner bans or removals will be issued as a result of a violation of any league etiquette, team negligence, and/or for reasons currently beyond comprehension but for which, at said time, the Commissioner and SRC deems banning appropriate through a 2/3 vote (or over). 1. The banned owner will be deemed to have violated the Constitution and thus the contract they signed; as a result, no league fees will be refunded. iv. In the event an owner has neglected a team, they may face a ban at which point their team will be sold at a prorated rate to any other interested person.

The PA Connection League 2013 Season Constitution Version 1.0 1. If no other person is interested in the team then the team will be managed by the Commissioner under the oversight of the SRC. a. The Commissioner will set the line-up of the team and will not complete any other transaction. i. Lineup will be set by weekly ranks published by ESPN. b. If the team in question wins a minipot, the pot will be rewarded to the runner-up. v. In certain cases an owner does not comply with League Etiquette, the owner may not be banned but instead may face a $20 disciplinary fine, assessed by the Commissioner and approved by the SRC, payable within 2 weeks of notification via Facebook and/or the ESPN League Site. 1. The $20 fine becomes an additional mini-pot and which is determined by the Commissioner. 2. If the owner does not pay the $20 fine within 2 weeks of notification of their punishment, the offending owners team will be considered neglected and will be subject to II.C.iv.

III.

League Setup
A. League Fees i. Registration for the 2013 season opens on June 17, 2013. ii. League Fees will equal the decided upon entry fee for the league plus fees associated with league setup and activation as detailed in Section IX. iii. League fees are due one week before draft day. 1. League Fees are set by the Commissioner and approved by the SRC. iv. League fees can be submitted via mail or via PayPal. 1. 2013 Season Mailing Address: 4600 Washington Blvd, Apt 201, Arlington, VA 22201 2. 2013 Season PayPal Address: League Fees Extra Mini-Pots a. There is a $3 convenience fee to use PayPal for the League Fees. b. There is a $0.99 convenience fee to use PayPal for the Extra MiniPots. B. Failure to Pay League Fees i. Failure to pay league fees by the 1st payment deadline will result in the owner relinquishing control of their spot and no longer guaranteed a spot in the league. ii. League openings will be made available to any interested party upon approval by the Commissioner and their payments will be due by the 2nd payment deadline. iii. The following rules apply in the case not all 12 teams have been filled with paying owners within one week of the league draft date: 1. First pay, first play; multiple solicitations can be sent out for one owner position and the first person to pays gains ownership of the team for that season. 2. If 9 or 11 people are registered; the commissioner will front the money for the 10th or 12th team from the league fees and find someone to take over the team who will pay in. 3. If someone pays who cannot actually play because they are the 13th entry then they will be refunded their money. C. Failure to Sign Constitution Agreement i. If a prospective owner fails to sign the constitution, that owner is not granted access to participate in the PA Connection League.

The PA Connection League 2013 Season Constitution Version 1.0 ii. If a prospective owner has paid the league fees for their entry but has not signed the Constitution Agreement 7 days before the draft day, the owner will be refunded their league fees and will not be granted access to participate in the PA Connection League. 1. If a prospective owner pays their league fees within the 7 days prior to draft day, they must have the Constitution Agreement signed within 24 hours of draft time. Rosters i. Each team will have 16 rosters spots and position caps based on the ESPN settings. Scoring will remain consistent with previous seasons unless 2/3 of the League requests a review by the SRC. i. The SRC will vet any scoring changes and any changes must be approved by the Commissioner and 2/3 of the league via a vote on the ESPN League Page. The rules and standards on the ESPN site are non-negotiable. Divisions The 12-team league will be divided into two 6-team divisions.

D. E.

F. G.

IV.

Draft
A. Draft Process i. The draft order will be determined randomly by ESPN. ii. Once the draft order is determined, the draft order will be in snake format (1st pick in round 1, has last pick in round 2, and so forth). 1. Each pick will last 90 seconds. iii. The draft date will be determined by the General League through a league vote on the Facebook Page based on owner availability . 1. The Commissioner will implement the draft and select weekend dates that will allow for the execution of other processes needed before the start of the NFL season. iv. There must be a 2/3 majority for a date to be selected. 1. The Commissioner provides final approval for the day that the Draft is to occur. 2. If there is not a 2/3 majority for any date offered, 50% of the league may select a date. v. The draft will be performed online via ESPN. 1. Owners may meet in person to draft their respective teams. vi. The draft will be run by ESPN. B. Draft Etiquette i. Owners shall not discuss their drafting strategy in private (this practice aids both owners in their overall draft preparation and will be considered collusion). ii. Be on time for the draft! 1. Once a Draft Date is approved by the SRC it cannot be postponed for any reason other than fatality, natural disaster, or other unavoidable, impactful event. 2. Draft Day may be postponed by a 2/3 majority vote through the ESPN League site.

V.

Waivers
A. Waivers are reset every week in inverse order of standings. i. Full waiver systemic information is available through ESPN.

The PA Connection League 2013 Season Constitution Version 1.0 B. The waiver period is 2 days and there are no limits to free agency moves. C. There will be no recourse for waiver claims or free agency moves executed by mistake. D. Barring a public ESPN announcement, no investigations will take place into alleged system errors.

VI.

Trades
A. Trades will be allowed from the end of the draft until the trading deadline on the Wednesday between Week 11 and Week 12 of the regular NFL season. B. Each trade will have a 2 day review period at which point the General League will have the opportunity to vote via the ESPN Trade Voting tool. C. It will take 66% of the league to cast a veto vote to officially veto a trade. D. Each franchise owner has the right to vote against any trade. E. Vetoed trades cannot be reviewed. F. Trades cannot be processed faster than outlined above. i. For example, if a trade is accepted on a Friday at 9 PM the 48 hour trade review period will still be in effect and the trade will not be officially cleared until after the Sunday games. Plan accordingly. G. Trades accepted by mistake will not be changed under any circumstance. i. However, it is constitutional for owners can submit a plea to the Facebook page for owners to veto the trade. ii. If the two owners involved agree to cancel the trade due to an error, the Commissioner may cancel the trade. 1. The agreement to cancel must be confirmed by both owners through an ESPN, Facebook, or E-Mail message.

VII.

Regular Season
A. The season schedule will be generated automatically by ESPN based on the divisions. B. All owners are responsible to make sure their lineups are updated on time. No exceptions will be made. C. Lineups never fully lock but each player locks as their game starts. D. In the event of a computer failure prior to the start of a given weeks games, a franchise owner must contact the commissioner prior to kickoff of the first game and inform of him of the situation and the subsequent lineup change(s). If the commissioner receives the lineup change(s) 13 hours prior to 1 PM on Sunday, the change(s) will be made. The commissioner must then post notification of the manual lineup change(s) on the Facebook Page. E. The regular season will end after the completion of week 14.

VIII. Playoffs/Consolation
A. The three-round playoffs will take place during weeks 15, 16, 17. B. The first place team in each division will be ranked and seeded #1 and #2 respectively for the six-team championship playoff. i. The first place team in each division will have 1st round byes. ii. The League Championship game will be referred to as the Keystone Bowl. C. Seeding is based on regular season records and the subsequent tiebreakers outlined by ESPN Fantasy Sports. D. The bottom ranked teams will participate in the consolation bracket to determine the full league rankings.

The PA Connection League 2013 Season Constitution Version 1.0 E. The winner of the Keystone Bowl will have their name engraved on the Keystone Trophy and may take possession of the trophy during the off-season; (January 15th to August 15th) i. Prior to the following season the winner will send the trophy back to the Commissioner. 1. If the trophy is not returned by August 20th, the trophy will be assumed missing and forfeited and the owner will be banned from the league until the trophy is returned. ii. To insure the trophy, the Keystone Bowl winner must pay the full league fees for the next season before the trophy is shipped to them for their victory. iii. The Keystone Bowl winner has until January 30th to pay the following years league fees or they will forfeit the option of taking possession of the trophy. iv. The Keystone Bowl winner may opt to not take possession of the trophy and thus will not be subject to paying the next seasons league fees early. Engraving will still occur. v. When sending the trophy back to the Commissioner, the league will reimburse the Keystone Bowl winner for the shipping costs.

IX.

League Fees
A. The 1st registration deadline is 4 weeks after the opening of registration. i. Before the 1st registration deadline, only immediately previous participants in the PA Connection League can register. nd B. The 2 payment deadline is the Thursday before draft weekend. i. During this time any interested person may register. C. The $ 55 League Fee Breakdown is as follows: i. $ 23 for Main Pot, ii. $ 27 for Mini Pots (8 Mini Pots; details to be posted in Facebook Group Events section), iii. $ 5 League Fee D. League fees can be submitted via PayPal or mailed in check or money order form. i. Cash cannot be accepted because it is not traceable in the mail. ii. The Commissioner and League does not take any responsibility if cash is mailed and lost in the mail. E. Breakdown of prizes: i. $ 176 for 1st Place ii. $ 60 for 2nd Place iii. $ 40 for 3rd Place iv. $ 40 for Mini-Pot Win (x 8) F. What do League Fees go to? i. Trophy Engraving, Trophy Shipping/Maintenance, League Website Fees, Mailing of Prizes, etc. G. The League Fee Breakdown is proposed by the Commissioner within one month of the previous seasons end. i. The SRC approves the League Fee Breakdown within 2 weeks of the proposal by the Commissioner. If rejected, the Commissioner submits another proposal. 1. For the 2013 season, because there is no standing SRC, the league fees will remain the same as the 2012 season. H. Optional league fees may be implemented by the Commissioner as he or she sees fit. i. For the 2013 season, owners may pay an extra $27 to participate in an extra 8 weeks of mini-pots called the Mini-Pot Plus plan.

The PA Connection League 2013 Season Constitution Version 1.0 1. The optional fee must be paid by the 2nd registration deadline. 2. Prizes/payouts will vary based on how many owners participate. a. Each team may submit one entry. 3. Extra mini-pots will only occur on the weeks when regular mini-pots are not being held. 4. Only owners who have paid the extra mini-pot fees are eligible to participate in the extra mini-pot competitions. 5. The Commissioner will select the extra mini-pot competition and the weeks they are to occur. 6. Mini-pot rules apply to extra-mini-pots.

X.

Prize Payout
A. General i. All winnings will be mailed in check form. ii. If you would like, you can receive your prizes via PayPal. iii. If a team has two owners, the Commissioner can send split prizes ($20 to owner A and $20 to owner B) but the Commissioner must have written consent from BOTH owners; if not, then the prize will be sent to the original owner. 1. The co-owners consent lasts the entire season. 2. Written consent may include messages via ESPN, email or Facebook. B. Mini-Pots i. The Commissioner establishes the mini-pots that are competed on during the regular season as well as the weeks that the mini-pots are to occur. ii. If there is a tie in the mini-pot challenge the owners involved will have 2 options to settle the mini-pot challenge: 1. Split the mini-pot prize equally among the tied parties. 2. Play a tie-breaker of the same mini-pot challenge the following week. a. All owners must agree to participate in the tie-breaker, if not, the prize will be split. b. If a tie-breaker is played, the same players from the previous week will count toward the mini-pot however, the owner may start whoever they want in the tie-breaker week. i. Example: The mini-pot challenge is highest scoring defense and the Chicago and the Buffalo defense tie with the highest scores. In the tie-breaker week the owners may play any defense they want, but the Chicago and Buffalo defenses will still be the defenses that count towards the tie-breaker (even if they are benched, dropped, or on another team due to a trade). 1. This also applies when multiple players combine to make a mini-pot score. ii. The SRC will handle enforcement of this rule. 1. If a team does not comply with these rules during the tie-breaker they will forfeit their ability to participate in the tie-breaker challenge. iii. All mini-pots will be final on the Saturday afternoon of the following week to ensure all scoring corrections posted by ESPN are reflected in the mini-pot challenge.

The PA Connection League 2013 Season Constitution Version 1.0

XI.

Amendments
A. All amendments proposed by league members must receive 2/3 approval from the SRC and approval from the Commissioner prior to the start of the season. B. All amendments proposed during the season will be reviewed at the end of the current season and not be adopted until the following season. C. All amendments to the PA Connection constitution will be named according to the league member who caused or identified the problem. i. The naming of amendments will rest on the SRC and is not appealable. D. Typos and grammatical errors will be corrected by the Commissioner upon discovery.

XII. Constitution Agreement By signing below, I acknowledge and certify that I have read and understand the PA Connection League Constitution and agree to abide all rules, etiquette, and processes set forth within the Constitution.