49ers Lose Draft Pick for Tampering

The San Francisco 49ers have lost a 5th round draft pick in this year’s draft, and will exchange 3rd round picks with the Chicago Bears after being found guilty of tampering with Bears LB Lance Briggs last season.

Briggs, who was designated as the Bears franchise player last season and initially held out over the issue, eventually signed his one year tender and reported to the team. Sometime during the season, the Bears filed charges that the 49ers had made contact with Briggs’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus.

Despite making threats of leaving last year, Briggs signed a 6-year, $36 million contract with the Bears early in free agency this year, meaning the 49ers lose a draft pick, and give the Bears a better pick in the third for…doing nothing that resulted in them getting an advantage over another NFL team.

At the same time, I wonder if the penalty would have been tougher had they actually landed Briggs–the Patriots did have to give up a first round pick (but only one of theirs, not the one they got from the 49ers) for Spygate.

Oh, and by the way, if you want to read about how great Drew Rosenhaus is, I highly recommend his book A Shark Never Sleeps. He’ll fill you in on how smart he is, how great he is with women, and how important he is. It definitely is an…interesting read.