The Constitution of the Tuesday & Co. Football League
We of the Tuesday & Co. Football League, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish dominance, insure domestic upheaval, provide for the common sense, promote the general pimpdom, and secure the blessings of a Championship to ourselves and our posterior, do ordain and affirm this Constitution for the Tuesday & Co. Football League.
Article I: Establishment of the League
Section 1: There shall be a fantasy football league established for perpetuation of the fraternity desiderated by the men of Tuesday & Co.
Section 2: The name of the league shall be the, “Tuesday & Co. Football League,” or “TCFL.”
Section 3: There shall be no more or less than eight league members. Eight shall be the number of the counting and the number of the counting shall be eight. Unto nine do not proceed, neither unto seven unless proceeding on to eight. Three is right out.
Section 4: There shall be two conferences, equally dividing the league in half, thus dividing the people in twain. The Conferences shall be named Mason and Dixon, befitting the legacy and heritage of the league.
The Mason Conference will be made up of the following, sovereign members:
Captain Jared Bentley Gable, Attorney at Law
The Reverend Doctor Nathan Lee McIntyre, Chaplain
Uncle Remus, Timothy Jude O’Neil, R.N.
Governor Rooney Beauregard Tuesday, PhD
The Dixon Conference will be made up of the following, sovereign members:
Mr. Troy Lee Foxwell, Ambassador to Maryland
M. Alan Gable, D’yer Mak’er
Leo S. Mezzapelle, Godfather
Junior T. Skelton, Who shall pick the Cotton
If there is a vacancy in league ownership, the Executive Power shall activate the Ninth Member as owner of the untenanted franchise. The Ninth Member is nominated by the active membership composite for simple majority approval. The Ninth member shall be known as “Mamie.”
Section 5: The TCFL regular season shall be conducted weeks 1-13 of the NFL regular season. The TCFL post-season will run NFL weeks 14-16, with the Mason-Dixon Game (Pro Bowl) on week 17.
Each franchise will play each division rival three times, for a total of nine division games and four cross-conference games, totaling 13 regular season games. The winners of the regular season division championships will have earned a bye in week 14 of the season.
Section 6: All legislative Powers herein granted shall be given to the sovereign members to make necessary decisions regarding league business. This body of membership has been chosen amongst the worthy members of the Tuesday & Co. family.
In order to meet the standards of league business, every sovereign member has the right to petition for control of the floor at the annual convention. If the vote pertains to daily league business, a simple majority will be taken for approval, unless the Commissioner sets a higher, reasonable voting requirement.
Any proposed changes to the constitution will require a three-fourth majority vote, with no member abstaining on matters of the constitution.
In the event of a tie during voting procedure, the two sides shall name representatives to begin caucusing discussions. The voting roster shall continue on until it is finished before returning to the issue/s on which the league could not come to a majority decision. The voting will continue until the tie is broken.
All other league business, including rule changes, amendments to current league practices, and officer selection may be done during the off-season.
If an off-season Convention proves necessary to meet the requirements of league business, the date and location of the convention shall be determined by the Executive Committee. The Commissioner shall preside over the proceedings. Attendance at a Convention is strongly recommended, but not mandatory.
Section 7: The TCFL shall be a “keeper league.” The league members will be mandated to keep five franchise players to be determined by the owner at the end of each year. An additional two players shall be protected from each team by the owner during the off-season. All players are eligible for trading during the off-season.
Section 8: There shall be a live draft, which will be conducted on the first weekend in September annually. The location of this draft will be determined by members of the Executive Committee.
Attendance at the Draft is mandatory for all TCFL members. Failure to attend the annual draft may result in a fine determined by the Executive Committee, collected by the Treasurer into the general bank account of the TCFL, and/or deprivation of draft picks to be determined by the Commissioner.
Section 9: The in-season rosters for each team will have 2 Quarterbacks, 4 Running Backs, 4 Wide Receivers, 2 Tight Ends, and 2 Kickers. When all 14 positions are filled by active players, it is deemed a full “legal roster.”
Every league member must have a legal roster before playing a game. This includes dropping or “deactivating” a player if a “questionable” or “doubtful” player ends up playing that given week.
Deactivation of a player means they are not eligible for “non-zero bench status” in case of an injury to the starter. Any deactivated player may be dropped and returned immediately to the waiver pool for the subsequent week. If an owner fails to comply with this rule, the Commissioner may trim their roster to make the roster legal.
A legal roster constitutes that all positions are filled, and no position has more than the allotted number of players in accordance with injured reserve laws.
There shall also be 2 roster spots for players eligible for injured reserve. Injuries shall be determined from the injury list on NFL.com. Only a player listed as “questionable” or lower will be available for the injured reserve.
There shall be two additional spaces for “special circumstances,” as to not impede the use of the injured reserve players or to harm the owner in any unnecessary manner. Special circumstances are non-injury related reasons a player would miss any playing time, i.e.- suspension, family leave, etc.
Section 10: There shall be a waiver system established to drop or add free agent players to the general waiver pool.
There shall be a rank order for owners to contend for players in the waiver pool.
The waiver order shall begin the season reflexive to that of the draft order of the league members.
Section 11: The scoring for the TCFL shall be as follows:
Quarterbacks- 1 point per every 20 passing yards, 3 point per passing touchdown, 2 points per two-point conversion. Bonuses shall be awarded to a quarterback at 300 yards (5 points), 400 yards (an additional 5 points, for a total of 10), 500 yards (10 additional points for a total of 20). A quarterback may also incur points via rushing or receiving stats in the manner prescribed in the categories below.
Running Backs/Wide Receivers/Tight Ends- 1 point per every 10 receiving/rushing yards. 6 points per rushing/receiving touchdown. 2 points per two-point conversion. Bonuses shall be awarded to a RB/WR/TE/QB at 100 yards (5 points), 150 yards (an additional 5 points, for a total of 10), and 200 yards (an additional 10 points, for a total of 20). Any passing stats incurred by a player shall be awarded in the manner described above.
Kickers- 1 point per extra point, 3 points per field goal 0-49 yards, 5 points per field goal 50+ yards. Any another stat incurred by the player shall be awarded in the above manner.
In the event of a tie, the winner shall be determined by the starter with the single highest individual point total of all starters for either team.
If the tie remains unbroken, the winner shall be the team who has the bench player with the single highest individual point total of all bench players for either team. If there is still not a resolution, the second highest starter shall determine the resolution, then the second highest bench player, and so on until the tie is broken.
Article II: The Commissioner, and His Powers
Section 1: All executive powers herein granted shall be given to the Commissioner. He shall hold his office for life, or upon his request is removed from the post of Commissioner, unless voted out in a manner prescribed by this document.
Should a new Commissioner prove necessary, he shall be elected during the off-season from the populous of the league that is qualified by serving a term in the league of no less than three years. The commissioner shall be elected by a three-fourths majority. In the event this is not possible after three votes, a simple majority will be necessary. The majority vote needs to be held twenty-four hours after the initial voting. No member may abstain from a vote on this subject.
A Commissioner can be removed by a unanimous league vote, which shall be the remaining seven-sevenths of the membership; minus the Commissioner. A league owner may also be removed in the same manner.
In case of removal of the Commissioner from office, or of his death, resignation, or inability to discharge the powers of the said office during the season, the same shall devolve on the Executive Committee Chairman. In such a time the Executive Committee Chairman shall give up his office to become Acting Commissioner of the TCFL. The Commissioner shall pre-determine the next in line for Executive Committee Chairmanship, and an alternate Executive Committee member shall become active. A new alternate shall be appointed at such a time.
Section 2: The primary responsibility of the Commissioner’s Office is to maintain the integrity and competition of the league. He may use his Executive Powers to preserve and maintain this integrity, including the deprivation of waiver or draft picks to any party who is negligent in disrupting the league's interests. Fines may also be invoked by the Commissioner to punish the same detrimental actions.
The Commissioner of the league shall have the powers to conduct the live draft, institute and enforce league directives, preside over mandated conventions, maintain and control the waiver system, process trades or recommend trade reviews, make any roster changes requested of him by a league member for that member’s team, and enforce the judgment calls of his office, which may be reviewed by the Executive Committee upon appeal by a league member.
The Commissioner shall also have the power to conduct the post-season playoff and bowl games; establish offices pertinent to league business, and establish and distribute mid and post season honors.
Section 3: If the Commissioner acts contrary to his oath to maintain fair play standards within the league, acts dishonestly about a transaction or pending transaction, especially abusing Commissionatorial Powers provided him by this document, he shall be subject to punishment from the Executive Committee. Only removal of the Commissioner is a league wide decision, for which guidelines have been provided.
Section 4: The Commissioner has the right of "prima fascia" to be invoked only once during the course of a season. This right is a special exception, where the Commissioner’s decision cannot be reviewed by the Executive Committee. The ruling may be challenged post-season. If the Commissioner’s ruling was a violation of fair play ethics, he is then subject to punishment from the Executive Committee.
Punishment by the Executive Committee may be censure or temporary suspension, pending a league wide vote on his removal.
Article III: Roles and Duties of non-Commissioner Offices
Section 1: There shall be established an Executive Committee (XC). This Committee shall be made up of three long-standing league members. The composition of the XC shall be determined by the Commissioner.
Responsibilities of the XC include trade review (as recommended by the Commissioner), rule clarification, hearing a league member’s appeal of a Commissionatorial decision, draft and convention location selection, and preparing a budget to be maintained by the Commissioner and Treasurer.
Section 2: There shall be also a Chairman of the Executive Committee (XCC). It is his duty to preside over the proceedings of the subsequent committee members in any actions, reviews, trade oversight, or sanctions a league member or the Commissioner brings before the Committee. The Chairman is appointed by the commissioner for a one year term. Any member may serve as many years (consecutively or interrupted) as pleases the Commissioner.
The Executive Committee Chairman is the next in the line of constitutional succession, and therefore may be privy to all knowledge the acting Commissioner has (passwords, future plans and goals, conversations regarding the office or league business), this to ensure a peaceful transference of power in an emergent situation.
In all reviews and responsibilities, the Executive Committee Chairman will preside over the proceedings to insure an orderly and prompt decision from the committee. The number of appeals shall not be limited during the course of a season. All findings and rulings of the Executive Committee shall be final. Any decision may be reviewed by the ownership in the off-season.
Once a verdict is handed down from the Executive Committee, it is the job of the Executive Committee Chairman to write the binding majority opinion. He may choose to have another committee member write a dissenting opinion if significant opposition to the majority opinion exists.
The Executive Committee has the right of refusal. This is the right of the Chairman to choose not to hear a case or dispute; a choice not to hear the case must be reasonable grounds for refusal.
If any dispute involves a member of the Executive Committee, he shall abstain from the vote; at such a time the Commissioner shall act in lieu of the abstaining XC member. If the dispute involves the Commissioner and member of the XC or two XC members, the alternate member of the XC shall be active for the vote.
During a period of Executive Committee Oversight, the XCC also has the right to review a trade involving the Commissioner. This may be done at the Chairman’s discretion, without limitation on the number of reviews during the course of a season.
Section 3: There shall be a league Treasurer. The job of the league Treasurer will be to keep and collect all prescribed league dues, costs, and fines. A strict accounting of league funds is mandated.
The Treasurer shall also be charged with the maintenance of league trophies and awards.
His appointment is made by the Commissioner, whom he serves at the pleasure of.
Section 4: If an officer abuses the powers of his office, the Commissioner shall have the obligation of determining a fitting punishment for the team which the officer owns, and may also levy fines to be deposited into league bank account.
Article IV: Fair Play Rules and Regulations:
Section 1: Waivers shall be processed according to the “rank order” of each franchise.
The waiver pool will shut down to the rank list at midnight on Fridays for routinely scheduled weeks; Wednesday at midnight the night before a Thursday game. These times and days are subject to change by the commissioner.
There shall be no more than two waiver pick ups per week, per team. A pick up of one player from the waiver pool shall constitute the usage of the owner’s waiver position, at which time their waiver rank shall move to the bottom of the waiver rank order, and move up accordingly in succession with subsequent owners’ waiver picks.
Injured players in the general waiver pool are not eligible for "Injured Reserve" status if chosen off waivers by a franchise.
All Waiver requests will be required in writing to the Commissioner.
Section 2: There shall be a system of trade allowed within the league between the sovereign owners.
Trades are limited to transactions within this league involving players, draft picks, or waiver picks.
A trade may not be made with any monetary or possessional gain for any league owner. Any trade in violation of this rule, or believed to be in violation, will be invalid and subject to punishment by the Commissioner.
Executive Committee Oversight (XCO) of trades shall be active for two years should the induction of a new member prove necessary. Under XCO each trade may be reviewable by recommendation of the Commissioner to the Executive Committee. If the Committee so wishes, the trade may be vetoed.
After the two year oversight period has expired, the league shall not have the authority to regulate any legal trading between the owners.
The trade deadline shall close each regular season on the Wednesday of Week 11, unless extended by the Commissioner.
The trading block shall reopen the day after the NFL Super Bowl for the next season. All players are eligible for trading during the off-season.
Section 3: Players are locked into “starter” or “bench” status once a player’s specific game begins.
If a player is injured in the first half of regulation play, the lowest non-zero scoring player on the bench at that position will become an available starter to the owner.
Only if a specific player substitution scenario has been submitted prior to the game for reasons of documented injury (player listed as questionable or lower) shall the above scenario not be mandated for injury.
These player specific substitutions must be submitted in writing to both the Commissioner and that week’s opponent before the beginning of the applicable game.
It is also necessary that the “injured” starting player not return to the ball game in the second half after his injury is sustained. Any substitution not in compliance with this rule is in violation of fair play standards, and therefore subject to disciplinary action.
Section 4: In order to allow for franchises to make proper preparations for a game, all trade proposals must be accepted, denied, or a written agreement of negotiation extension between owners must be obtained before 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday or Friday, depending upon the day of the first NFL game that week.
Section 5: Division standings will be determined in the following order:
1. Overall Record
2. Division Record
3. Head-to-Head Record
4. Total Points
Section 6: To maintain Fair Play during the bowl games, it is necessary that the scoring for the Toilet Bowl contest is determined “Scramble Style” for each team. The highest scoring players at each position shall be taken to determine each team’s starters.
The scoring for the annual Mason-Dixon Pro Bowl Game shall also be determined “Scramble Style.”
Additionally, the league will reserve the right to rename the Toilet Bowl Champion in order to bring further shame to their ingloriousness and disesteem. The Toilet Bowl Champion may negotiate a plea bargain with the Commissioner regarding his team name for the next season.
Section 8: fanball.com will be the official website of the TCFL.
Section 9: The post-season bowl games shall be named:
Super Bowl, Presented by Padron
Dixie Crystals Brown Sugar Bowl
Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Bowl
Kohler Toilet Bowl
