Adrian Fedkiw
The Kansas City Chiefs appealed the NFL’s tampering ruling on wide receiver Jeremy Maclin.
Team Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt made the official announcement at the owners meeting in Boca Raton on Monday. He had originally released a statement through the Chiefs’ website on March 9, the day of the ruling.
“As we indicated in the (initial) statement, we intended to file and we have filed that appeal at this point,” he said.
Hunt declined further comment on the matter, stating that he was limited on what he could say during the appeal process.
The NFL said the infraction occurred prior to the free-agency negotiating period last March when Maclin was still under contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. They stated that Kansas City had direct contact with Maclin during the negotiating time frame, which is prohibited. The league then laid down the boom on the Chiefs, taking away their third-round pick in the upcoming draft and a sixth-rounder next year. The team was fined $250,000, as was Andy Reid and general manager John Dorsey, respectively.
Maclin, who caught 87 passes for 1,088 yards and eight touchdowns last season, eventually signed a five-year, $55 million contract with Kansas City.