Falcons Stumble Upon Brilliance

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Falcons DT Grady Jackson is suing the Falcons for defamation of character and invasion of privacy, alleging that the Falcons improperly disclosed his medical records to other teams and made false statements about his health. Jackson alleges that this cost him millions on the open market. He later signed a three-year deal with the Falcons.

Here's where it gets interesting. The money the Falcons pay as a result of a verdict or pursuant to a settlement with the Falcons does not count against the salary cap. This opens the door for a less scrupulous team to intentionally destroy a player's reputation, perhaps in cohoots with the player himself, and then settle a lawsuit out of court for the remainder of the money they are willing to pay him. Imagine if the Ravens destroyed Adalius Thomas' professional reputation, paid him a base of $3M/yr for three years, and then settled for $7M/yr for three years.

This type of collusion is, of course, illegal. So...where does Carmen Policy GM these days?