The unintended consequences of the Jonathan Gannon tampering case are already taking root.
With teams now deriving a potential benefit from throwing a tampering dart that hits the bull’s-eye, teams that believe they’ve been victimized by tampering will be more willing than ever to say so.
According to the Washington Post, the Colts have asked the NFL to investigate whether the Commanders tampered with retired quarterback Andrew Luck. Earlier today, ESPN reported that the Colts were exploring the matter.
An unnamed person within Luck’s camp told the Post that the Commanders did not contact Luck, his father Oliver, or his uncle who has worked as Luck’s agent. (It’s one thing for someone from Luck’s camp to say it; it’s another thing for the trail of digital bread crumbs to back it up.)
The Colts still want the NFL to explore whether improper contact occurred through intermediaries, and the Colts are demanding a proper investigation.
Of course they are, because they (and all other teams) now know that there’s a chance the tampering investigation will be resolved with a boost in draft standing come 2024.
The item in the Post includes an interesting wrinkle. Per the Post, the original article from John Keim of ESPN.com said that the Commanders had “even phoned the retired Andrew Luck.” The story was later revised to say that the Commanders had “even phoned about retired Andrew Luck.”
Something that specific and tangential to the article (which focused on the Commanders’ commitment to Sam Howell) didn’t happen accidentally. Someone noticed that, as worded, it could be problematic to the Commanders. Whether it was just a case of the Commanders being careful or someone kicking dirt on the tracks of tampering remains to be seen.
Regardless, if the NFL wants to get to the bottom of it, the NFL will. Along the way, the NFL may regret the precedent set by the bizarre way the NFL handled the Gannon tampering case.