DANGERUSS DYNASTY CONSTITUTION
Article I
FORMATION AND DURATION OF CONSTITUTION
This DangeRUSS Dynasty Fantasy League (DDFL) Constitution constitutes an agreement among the DDFL Football Clubs, as identified herein, each of which shall be entitled to the benefits of and shall be bound by all the terms and provisions hereof, and it shall remain in effect indefinitely, except that the provisions of Article III, Section 3 shall expire at such time as the current Commissioner ceases to hold office.
Article II
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Terms Defined
“Boards” shall mean the message boards located here
“Club” shall mean a fantasy football team established pursuant to this Constitution.
“Commissioner” shall mean the incumbent of, and/or the Office of the Commissioner of the DDFL.
“Inactive” shall mean the state of neglecting to do all of the following for a period of time:
* Adding or dropping players;
* Rostering a full starting lineup;
Interpretive note
For further clarity, a Manager would not be “Inactive” on a given day if he failed to activate a wide receiver to replace a player on a bye week but did add an injured player to their bench.
“Manager” shall mean a participating player in the fantasy football game vested with authority to make binding decisions with respect to a Club.
“Notice” shall mean posting on the Boards. Only a post on the Boards shall serve as official and sufficient notice to the Commissioner of any action. While informal methods may be effective in advising the Commissioner of actions, no Club may review a decision of the Commissioner or bring a petition or complaint that was not announced on the Boards.
“The League” shall mean the fantasy football league to which this Constitution pertains.
“DangeRUSS Dynasty League Championship” shall mean the championship game between the two finalists in the fantasy league.
“Regular Season” shall mean the period of time between 10:00 AM on the day upon which the first game of NFL football is played in a given year and the resolution of the DangeRUSS Dynasty Championship.
“Offseason” shall mean the period of time between the resolution of the DangeRUSS Dynasty Championship and 10:00 AM on the day upon which the first game of NFL football is played in a given year.
“Opening Day” shall mean the first day upon which a regular season NFL football game is played within a given season.
Computation of Time
Where this Constitution refers to a week, it shall have either the meaning ascribed to it in common usage (e.g., from 7 PM on a Tuesday to 7 PM the following Tuesday), or, in the context of head-to-head competition, a “week” shall refer to the period of time comprising the head-to-head contest between two opponents, regardless of the number of actual days within that time period.
Where this Constitution refers to a period of time measured in days between two events, those days shall be counted by excluding the day on which the first event happens and including the day on which the second event happens, even if the words “at least” are used. Unless stated otherwise, “days” in every case includes all weekends and holidays.
All times of day applied herein shall be computed as being in Greenwich Mean Time / British Summer Time.
Article III
THE COMMISSIONER
Establishment of Office
- The Office of the Commissioner of the DangeRUSS Dynasty Fantasy League is hereby established.
Details of Commissioner
- The contact details for the Commissioner are:
David Fern
REDACTED
REDACTED
Powers and Duties
-
The functions of the Commissioner shall include:
-
To serve as the Chief Administrative, Dispute Resolution and Financial officer of the DangeRUSS Dynasty Fantasy League.
-
To investigate, either upon complaint or upon the Commissioner’s own initiative, any act, transaction or practice charged, alleged or suspected not to be in the best interests of the game of fantasy football, with authority to compel the Clubs and Managers therein to respond to such requests as may be necessary to resolve the same, and upon consideration or upon a refusal or failure to comply with such requests, to impose such penalties as are hereinafter provided.
-
To determine, after investigation, what preventative, remedial or punitive action is appropriate in the circumstances of the same act, transaction or practice, and to take such action against Clubs, Managers or other individuals, as the case may be.
-
To appoint such persons to assist in the execution of the duties of the Commissioner as may be necessary in the Commissioner’s exclusive discretion.
-
To review and approve transactions between Clubs in respect of competitive balance, freedom from collusion or other restricted practices, and for the best interests of fantasy football.
-
To make decisions, or to appoint persons to make decisions, in respect of rule interpretations, administrative functions, financial transactions or disciplinary action, as may be necessary.
-
To record all amendments to this Constitution in Appendix A “Amendment History”.
-
Prescribed Penalties
-
In the case of conduct deemed by the Commissioner not to be in the best interests of the DDFL or fantasy football, punitive or disciplinary actions against Clubs or Managers may include any one or more of the following:
-
A formal warning;
-
A reprimand;
-
A reversal, amendment to, or denial of a challenged transaction;
-
A forfeit of certain day, week or other specified period of competition; (e) A forfeit of a specified draft pick;
-
A reduction in waiver claim priority;
-
Suspension or removal of a Club or a Manager from the DangeRUSS Dynasty; or (h) Such other actions as the Commissioner may deem appropriate.
-
-
Decisions of the Commissioner that include penalties to Clubs must be posted formally on the Boards.
Commissioner not to Supersede Authority of Clubs
- Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 3, above, the Commissioner shall take no action in the best interests of fantasy football, and shall make no amendment to this Constitution or adjustment to the status quo in respect of any matter that requires the Clubs to take a vote, as set forth in Article IV, Section 2.
Procedure to Review and/or Vacate Commissioner’s Decision
-
Any action of the Commissioner taken pursuant to this Article, regardless of whether or not it is specifically designated as “reviewable”, may be overturned under the following process:
-
Clubs interested in the outcome of the Commissioner’s decision (i.e., the Club that would receive the direct benefit of an overturned vote and any other Club(s) directly involved in the challenged transaction and/or act) are deemed Interested Parties and are not eligible to participate in a vote to overturn that decision.
- For further clarity, each Club’s interest in the general competitiveness of each other Club shall not constitute an “interest” in the outcome of a decision for the purposes of subsection (a).
-
One-third of Clubs eligible to cast a vote to overturn must agree to a petition for reconsideration or a vote upon the challenged decision. That petition must be made within one week of the formal posting of the challenged decision on the Boards.
- For further clarity, without such a petition being made, there shall be no review of a Commissioner’s decision.
-
If the Commissioner does not reconsider the decision, a vote shall be held.
-
The Commissioner and all Interested Parties may make such representations to the Clubs as they may wish in support of their preferred outcome.
-
The decision of the Commissioner may be overturned only upon a two-thirds majority vote of eligible Clubs.
-
If such a majority is not achieved, the decision of the Commissioner stands. (g) If such a majority is achieved, the decision of the Commissioner is vacated.
- For further clarity, this shall not preclude further action by the Commissioner upon the same challenged act.
-
Interpretive note
For example, the Commissioner may decide pursuant to Article III, Section (3), Subsection (iii) that Club X is suspended permanently from the League- due to abusive behaviour against the best interests of fantasy football. That decision is posted on the Boards at 5:35 PM on a Tuesday. One-third of Clubs (which do not include the abusive Club, because it is an Interested Party) petition the Commissioner for reconsideration or a re-vote, pursuant to Article III, Section 7, Subsection (ii), and do so before the deadline at 5:35 PM the following Tuesday.
The Commissioner refuses to reconsider, and a vote is therefore held. More than two-thirds of Clubs vote that the decision should be vacated. There is therefore, at this point, no longer any decision of the Commissioner in respect of the challenged abusive acts. The Commissioner then decides pursuant to Article III, Section (4), Subsection (v) that the abusive Club shall be penalized a future rookie pick instead. Only two Clubs petition for a reconsideration of that decision. Because that is an insufficient number to form a petition, that decision stands and the abusive Club is penalized the designated future rookie rules.
Incapacity
- In the event that the Commissioner is unable or unwilling to continue in their role, a vote shall be held immediately to replace him from among the ranks of the Club managers following the above process. In the event that the Commissioner disagrees that he is unable to continue, that decision shall be reviewable pursuant to Section 6.
Article IV
CLUBS AND MANAGERS
Establishment of Clubs and Managers
-
The Managers of each Club are established as follows:
- ace8uk – Fatdick Mabones
- Antnorwe – JD Vance’s Sofa
- BeefHellos – Slim Pickens
- BLqzT – BLqzT
- DavidFern – WhoDey & The Blowfish
- druman – Two Coopers One Cup
- elJefe944 – Amon-Ra Ra Rasputin
- LukeM91 – Elite Mother Tuckers
- Mikeniceday – Willy Gronka
- Sneekle – Sneekle
Voting in the Offseason
-
Each Offseason, Clubs may be required to cast votes in respect of such matters as would include, but not be limited to:
-
The creation of expansion Clubs;
-
Revisions to the League Settings, as defined in Article V; and
-
Revisions to the regulations pertaining to a draft;
All of which shall require a two-thirds majority vote by means of a poll on the Boards or in person so long as all Clubs are represented. All votes will remain open for 3 days after the creation of the poll. Upon expiration of the voting window all votes will be counted and a ruling will be made by the Commissioner pursuant to the authority granted him in Article III, Section 3, Subsection vi.
-
Voting in the Regular Season
-
During the Regular Season, Clubs may be required to cast votes in respect of such matters as would include, but not be limited to:
-
Referenda or opinion polls as required by the Commissioner for their own guidance; and
-
Reviews of the Commissioner’s decisions within the Regular Season, as set out in Article III, Section 7.
-
No Contentious Constitutional Amendments During Regular Season
- This Constitution may not be amended during the Regular Season except by unanimous vote of the Clubs by means of a poll on the Boards. All votes will remain open for 3 days after the creation of the poll. Upon expiration of the voting window all votes will be counted and a ruling will be made by the Commissioner pursuant to the authority granted them in Article III, Section 3, Subsection vi.
Minimum Voting Requirements
- There is no minimum quorum or representation requirement for a Regular Season, Offseason or Constitutional Amendment vote.
Withdrawal of Managers / Clubs
-
Managers may withdraw from the DangeRUSS Dynasty at any time between the commencement of the Offseason and August 15 within that offseason. Their Clubs will persist and replacement owners may be found and appointed at the Commissioner’s sole discretion.
-
New Managers will have the opportunity to rename a Club from which all Managers have withdrawn.
Article V
LEAGUE SETTINGS
Game Service and Format
-
The DDFL shall be a weekly head-to-head league hosted by Sleeper Fantasy.
-
The scheduling of the DDFL, shall be set by Sleeper’s internal systems.
-
The scoring categories and associated points for the DDFL are found and posted on the league site and are set by the Commissioner but can be debated by the league prior to the start of the draft, after a spirited debate the Commissioner reserves the right to have the sole final say regarding all scoring settings.
-
The positional composition of the DDFL roster shall be as follows:
- 1 starting Quarterback (QB); No maximum
- 2 starting Running Backs (RB); No maximum
- 3 starting Wide Receivers (WR); No maximum
- 1 starting Tight End (TE); No maximum
- 2 starting Flex (RB/WR/TE);
- 14 Bench;
- 3 Taxi; No minimum
- 3 IR; No minimum
Wins and Tiebreakers
-
Weekly Head-to-Head matchups are won by the team with the higher point total for that given week after any penalties as described in Article VII, Section 5.
-
Matchups that end in a tie are recorded as a tie with the exception of playoff and Championship games as described herein.
Transactional Restrictions
-
Each Club is entitled to make an unlimited number of trades and/or add/drops each season.
-
Each trade, once submitted, shall be subject to a one day review period during which owners may petition the Commissioner to veto the trade.
Article VI
DANGERUSS DYNASTY FANTASY LEAGUE ROOKIE DRAFT
Announcement
-
The Draft date and time will be posted on the DDFL chat and will be pinned for increased visibility.
-
The commencement date of each subsequent DDFL Rookie Draft shall be set by the Commissioner no later than two (2) weeks prior to the start of the NFL regular season to take place no later than one (1) day before Opening Kickoff, and with no less than seven (7) days notice to the Clubs.
Draft Rules
- The DDFL Rookie Draft shall be governed by Sleeper’s automated process, and shall be a linear style draft.
Draft Order
-
The Draft order shall be set to the inverse of the previous season’s standings as outlined below:
- Positions 1-4 shall be awarded to the teams that finish 10-7 at the completion of the DDFL regular season sorted by MaxPF (least to most);
- Positions 5-10 shall be awarded to the teams that finish 6-1 at the completion of the DDFL playoffs.
- A bonus 3.11 pick will be awarded to the winner of the Consolation Bracket.
Article VII
FREE AGENCY AND ROSTER MANAGEMENT
Free Agent Acquisition
-
Free Agent players are acquired via weekly Free Agent Waiver Wire. Waiver wire order is rolling with waivers clearing on a Wednesday at 8am. The Free Agent/Waiver Wire process will be governed by Sleeper’s automated process.
-
Each Free Agent will remain on the Waiver Wire for one day to allow all teams the opportunity to make a claim.
Manager Responsibilities and Roster Management
-
Managers must field a complete team at all times.
-
Managers may not permit players on Injured Reserve to be in their active lineup for more than one (1) week from the time of their designation to the Injured Reserve.
-
Failure to abide by the responsibilities laid out in Section 3 and 4 will subject the Club to penalties at the Commissioner’s discretion pursuant to Article III, Section 4 and will be reviewable pursuant to Article III, Section 7.
-
In addition to the foregoing, if a Manager is Inactive for a period of more than two weeks, that neglect will constitute an Offence under Article X.
Article VIII
TRANSACTIONS
Authorization to Trade
-
Any Club may engage in any number of transactions with any number of other Clubs at any time, provided that the transactions would not be contrary to the best interests of fantasy football. Proposed trades will be subject to a one day review process by which all owners may petition the Commissioner to veto the proposed trade.
-
The Commissioner is authorized to evaluate all transactions, as authorized by Article III, Section 3, subsection v, upon the following terms:
- The Commissioner may veto or nullify any such transactions that contravene this Constitution or that, in their discretion, would be contrary to the best interests of fantasy football;
- All such vetoes must be announced within twenty-four (24) hours of the announced transaction;
- All such vetoes are reviewable decisions, pursuant to Article III, Section 7; and
- The Commissioner must confirm the transaction with all parties;
Forbidden Trades
-
Draft picks beyond three (3) future years and “players to be named later” are non-transferable and may not form any part of the value in a transaction.
-
With the exception of roster requirements (if any), there are no restrictions in respect of the number of Players that may form part of a transaction.
Trade Deadline
- The deadline for making trades is set to the completion of the final game of the 13th week of the DDFL season.
Effects of Contravention
- Transactions that contravene this Article, are null and void. For further certainty, even if a transaction involves multiple parties, a single infraction by any of the parties by virtue of that transaction nullifies the entire transaction for all parties.
Article IX
PLAYOFFS & CONSOLATION BRACKET
Timing
-
The playoffs and consolation bracket shall begin on Week 15 of the NFL regular season.
-
There are three (3) rounds of playoffs and two (2) rounds to the consolation bracket.
-
Each round shall be one (1) week long.
Participation
-
The six (6) Clubs with the highest win percentage upon the last date before the commencement of the playoffs shall qualify for the playoffs. The remaining Clubs shall enter the Consolation Bracket.
-
The two (2) Clubs with the highest win percentage will be granted a bye in the first round of the playoffs.
Tiebreakers
- In the event that any Clubs should be tied in respect of win percentage, the tie breaker shall be the Max Points For (Max PF) during the DDFL regular season.
Awards
- Championship Rings are to be arranged by the Commissioner, in collaboration with the season’s Championship winner, within a reasonable timeframe after the conclusion of the DangeRUSS Dynasty Championship.
Article X
OFFENCES
Nature of Offences
- This Article deals with activities that are deemed to go beyond the scope of irregularities or minor contraventions of the Constitution and constitute wrongful conduct worthy of more severe sanction.
Commencement of Offence Proceedings
- The Commissioner, on their own initiative or following the receipt of a complaint, whether anonymous or public, may, after satisfying themself that the complaint has merit, announce that a Club or its Manager has committed an offence, and the penalty for that offence.
- The Commissioner is authorized to investigate alleged offences if they deem it necessary to do so, and Managers are required to assist in such investigations by providing truthful statements to the Commissioner if requested to do so.
Offences
-
Everyone commits an offence who:
-
Bribery: Provides another party with value other than in-game value in exchange for in-game value.
-
Collusion: Agrees with another party to limit open competition in the game by deceiving, misleading or defrauding others in order for a party, who may or may not be a party to the collusion, to obtain an unfair market advantage.
- Collusion shall be assumed in any case where one Manager acts for more than one Club at the same time.
-
Disrespect: Makes insulting, aggressive, discomforting or derogatory comments to another party that a reasonable person would consider in excess of friendly ‘trash talk’.
-
Harassment: Repeatedly contacts another party, or contacts another party through a specific means of communication, despite that party’s request that they not do so.
- It shall be a defence to a harassment charge that the contacts were objectively reasonable and respectful in tone, content and frequency.
-
Non-Competitive Behaviour: Demonstrates an intention not to compete that goes beyond mere negligence.
- Under extreme circumstances, a recurring refusal to engage in reasonable transactions may be considered non-competitive behaviour.
Interpretive note
For example, owners are expected to use their best efforts to set their best available lineup every week of competition, even if they are well out of playoff contention. Tanking is defined as failing to submit their best available starting lineup either intentionally or through indifference. It is understood that owners may play hunches on who to start and won’t always start the player who scores the most points. This is distinctly different to rebuilding which is permitted and constitutes trading currently contributing assets for assets that may hold greater value in the future.
-
Nuisance: Repeatedly complains about the operation of the DangeRUSS Dynasty to the extent that it amounts to harassment of the Commissioner or markedly decreases the enjoyment of others.
-
General Anti-Avoidance Provision (GAAP): Engages in conduct not otherwise prohibited by this Constitution but is generally acknowledged to be unacceptable.
-
Penalties
-
Any Manager found guilty of an offence is susceptible to the most extreme penalties provided for in Article III, Section 3, including permanent suspension.
-
The Commissioner may, at their discretion, punish a Club for the actions of a Manager.
-
Decisions concerning an offence and its penalty are reviewable pursuant to Article III Section 7.
Arbitrators and Juries
-
The Commissioner is specifically empowered under Article III, Section 2(d) to appoint a neutral arbitrator or a jury if they, in their exclusive discretion, deem it necessary; and must do so if they are an Interested Party in an alleged offence. Despite Article III, Section 7, the decision to appoint an arbitrator or jury is not reviewable.
-
A jury vote is not binding but is advisory only.
-
Jury votes may not be secret.
-
There is no minimum quorum or representation requirement for a non-binding jury vote.
Interpretive note
While the Commissioner is the dispute resolution officer of the DangeRUSS Dynasty, in extremely rare cases the Commissioner may decide to appoint others to resolve disputes. This will be particularly – and perhaps exclusively – useful where the Commissioner is charged with, or the victim of, an offence; or where the nature of the offence is subjective. For example, a Commissioner may appoint a neutral third party arbitrator to determine what penalty, if any, a Manager should suffer for harassing him; or may appoint a small jury to determine whether or not someone’s ‘trash talk’ is offensive enough to count as abusive. Jury votes are not permitted to be secret, so that the Commissioner cannot be accused of lying about their results. Neither are jury votes binding, as the Commissioner may reasonably determine that there was enough concern demonstrated in a vote to give rise to an offence, or may determine that it is unnecessary or undesirable for every Manager to weigh in. (For example, if 40% of jurors agreed that a Manager’s contact with another Manager was unreasonable harassment, the Commissioner might decide to penalize that Manager with a lighter punishment, rather than finding there was no offence at all.)
AGREED TO this 11th day of October, 2023.
David Fern
Commissioner