One of the policies the league suspended during the pandemic could eventually be making a return.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the NFL will study in 2023 the question of whether the club remittance policy should be reinstated for 2024.
The club remittance policy (here’s the 2018 version of it) was created to penalize teams with multiple players who fan afoul of specific rules. It started as a vehicle for fining teams when multiple suspensions occur under the Personal Conduct Policy, the PED policy, and/or the substance abuse policy in the same league year. By 2018, it had expanded to include fines for various on-field infractions.
The policy was paused during the pandemic because of the uncertainty regarding the total financial losses teams would experience, given the possibility that multiple games would be canceled. The policy has not yet been reinstated.
As the source explained it, there’s a concern that some on-field safety violations (such as lowering the helmet and making contact with an opponent) are part of a given team’s culture. Some teams rarely if ever have such infractions. Some teams, per the source, have complained about other teams with repeated violations of the safety rules.
Frankly, there’s no reason to not bring back the club remittance policy. The reason for abandoning it is no longer relevant. The deeper concerns expressed by the policy still linger.
And here’s the next question — should suspensions under the gambling policy apply to it, too? That would give teams an even greater incentive to ensure that players know the rules, and that players comply with them.