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Atlanta Falcons Fined, Lose 2016 5th-Round Pick Over “Decibacle”

The punishment for the Atlanta Falcons fake crowd noise scandal has finally been handed down by the NFL.

On Tuesday, the NFL announced that the Atlanta Falcons would be fined $350,000 and lose their highest 2016 5th-round pick in the NFL Draft. Team president Rich McKay will also be suspended from his position on the NFL Competition Committee starting April 1st. He can apply for reinstatement no earlier than June 30th.

The Atlanta Falcons have been under investigation by the NFL for pumping in fake crowd noise during home games from 2013-2014. After the 2014 season, Arthur Blank admitted there had been a violation of NFL rules by the franchise and that the team was working with NFL investigators to find the culprit and determine the punishment. The investigation turned up evidence that a lone member of the Falcons event staff, Director of Event Marketing Roddy White, was directly responsible for the fake crowd noise. White was fired by the Falcons almost eight weeks ago, and may face up to an 8-week suspension if he is hired by another NFL team.

Here is the quote, directly from the NFL, on the outcome of their investigation:

“Our review concluded that Roddy White, the team’s former director of event marketing, was directly responsible for the violation. Mr. White would have been suspended without pay for the first eight weeks of the 2015 regular season had he still been with the club. If Mr. White obtains employment with another NFL team during the 2015 season, he may be required to serve some or all of this suspension.”

The Falcons organization and fans are breathing sighs of relief this week, after reports had surfaced that the penalties from Decibacle would be “severe”. Several reporters and NFL insiders claimed that sources had told them the NFL planned to strip the Falcons of a 2nd or 3rd-round pick. Others suggested the Falcons would be facing salary cap penalties and the suspension of team executives.

While the majority of the sports world believes the punishment is surprisingly fair, given Roger Goodell’s propensity for cruel and unusual reprehension, others think the Falcons were not punished adequately. Some claim the penalties are not enough of a deterrent for other teams, which could potentially lead to more franchises abusing crowd noise in the future.

However, the investigation turned up no evidence that any other Falcons executive, including the coach, GM, or owner, had any knowledge of the illegal crowd noise until they were informed by the NFL. The NFL, then, was punishing the Falcons organization for a failure to make sure that every member of their staff was following NFL rules and regulations. If the head coach, GM, or owner had deliberately or knowingly employed fake noise, you can bet the punishment would have been much more “severe”.

As it stands now, the Falcons got off with a lighter punishment that serves as a warning to the other teams in the NFL. The next time a team is caught using fake crowd noise, however, the punishment is likely to be a lot more “Goodell-esque”.

What are your thoughts on “Decibacle”? Is the punishment fair, too lenient, or too harsh? You can follow me on Twitter for all the latest Falcons news @TRSKevinKnight. As always, Rise Up and go Falcons!

Author: Kevin Knight

Recently graduated from the University of Central Florida with a degree in Psychology. Now I write about the Atlanta Falcons and try to finish my two novels. I also follow the UCF Knights, my hometown Niceville Eagles, and dabble in NFL fantasy football.

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