Fantasy Dispute

Text of dispute is :
In week 17 of the season one owner in our league forgot to click a button to officially submit his 3 changed players before the 1pm deadline. There is no dispute of the owners intent and that the trades were made within the correct time frame, but because he failed to go to another screen and click through the submit process his traded player’s didn’t get updated into the scoring module with the rest of his roster which is submitted automtically by the system. So his score only inclued 9 of the 12 players. He realized his mistake about 40 minutes to late and called the commish and was told Sorry you’re out of luck. Last year and throughout this year this would happen and the “Commish” would reconcile the trades after the fact and the correct scores would be calculated. At mid season he declared he would not continue the reconcilation and if by chance you forgot to submit you would lose those points. When he introduced this new “rule” the owner who ultimately forgot challenged it vigorously . He was not offered a refund to drop out nor did he quit in protest. I don’t thnk anyone thought it would come to this. From that point it was not an issue as no owner forget to submit, until this incident in week 17. Because he failed to submit and the commish would not compromise his position, the owner lost week 17 top score prize and 3rd plce overall finishing out of the money, losing out on $453. Other changes that resulted from the dispute; 1st and 2nd remain the same 3rd place given to fourth place winner who pockets $131 more 4th place given to 5th winner +$131 5th given to 6th place commish wins $131 dollars when he would have received $0 The owner who made the minor mistake feels the rule that he broke is invalid because it was introduced mid-season, was serve serving for the commish, something he strongly opposed at the time, and something that goes against the ethics of fair play. To reduce all his hard work to a missed mouse click is extreme in his opinion. The penalty dosn’t meet the mistake that broke the rule he didn’t find valid in the first place Commish – feels he has final say and can establish rules at his discretion. In this case he feels a rules a rules. No compromise although he acknowledges trades were made on time and mistake was just technicality.
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THE JUDGE RULES AS FOLLOWS:

I have no problem with a league that strictly enforces the lineup deadlines, regardless of unintentional mistakes by owners.  I also have no problem with leagues that allow the commissioner to make adjustments after the deadline if there was obviously a computer clicking error and it is undisputed as to an owner’s intent.  What is not acceptable is a league that sometimes applies the former, and sometimes the latter, on a willy nilly basis.

In your league, it is clear that last year and up to midseason this year, your league allowed the comissioner to make adjustments for unintentional mistakes.  However, at midseason, this rule was changed to a “strict deadline” league, and it was publicly announced (and publicly criticized).  Once the rule was changed, the rule must be enforced, regardless of the effect on weekly and end-of-season winners.  This is not a rule change that requires unanimous approval (such as a change in scoring rules midseason)—it is a procedural rule that has a rational basis, namely, the commissioner does not want to be in a position to decide an owner’s intent (even if it is undisputed).  So long as the rule did not flip-flop after it was announced (which it apparently did not, as evidenced by your statement that  “From that point it was not an issue as no owner forgot to submit, until this incident in week 17”).  Therefore, I find that once the rule was changed, your commissioner consistently applied it.  A greater problem would result if your commissioner made this one time exception, and the next time in a similar circumstance, your league is left arguing whether this is a “strict deadline” league or not.  From midseason on, your league became a “strict deadline” league.  Period.

The owner that made the clicking errors in Week 17 is out of luck.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

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