Decision - Controversy with OldNo7's Week #15 Lineup

The commissioners of the PQBFL were put in a very difficult position due to the controversy regarding OldNo7's lineup in week #15.  OldNo7 pretends to have sent the lineup on Saturday, but nobody received it.  OldNo7 realized that the team was given week #14's lineup by checking the website on Sunday around 6pm, then re-sent the e-mail with the lineup saying "I sent my lineup yesterday".  The commissioners asked for every team's opinion and asked for the opinion of the commissioner from another league.  Here is a summary of the arguments on each side and the final decision.

Nobody expressed any doubt that OldNo7 did in fact send his lineup on Saturday.  This team has been part of the league for several years and from memory has never forgotten to submit its lineup.  Also, management of the team is trustable and the assumption that the owner of the team made up an e-mail after the fact to get certain starters was dismissed.  Everybody believes that OldNo7 is telling the truth.

Management of Decepticons believes that OldNo7 should get the week #14 lineup because it was the team's responsibility to make sure that someone received the lineup. 

Management of WaxOnWaxOff belives that OldNo7 should get the week #15 lineup because they believe OldNo7.  Wax stated that the problem with giving the week #15 lineup is that the league would have to give the same treatment to other teams if this happened in the future.  Wax said that the team does not distrust other teams, but that Wax does not know other owners as well so it would be difficult.  A solution would be to give OldNo7 its week #15 lineup but make a rule that in the future, the responsibility is on the owner to make sure someone received the lineup.  There are several ways to do this: check the website before 1pm on Sunday to see if the lineup is there, call a league member to announce the starters, re-send an e-mail to the league, etc. 

Management of Spitoons said that they will go with the league's decision.

Management of UncleJack did not express an opinion but said that they did not receive OldNo7's lineup on Saturday.

Management of OldNo7 acknowledged that the commissioners were in a very tough situation by being forced to make a decision.  OldNo7 said that sticking the team with the week #14 lineup would be an appropriate decision since nobody received the lineup before the deadline. 

A commissioner from another league said that this was a tough call.  He said that fantasy football leagues rely on e-mail working properly.  He said that if there is a proof that the e-mail was sent before the deadline, he would give the owner the week #15 lineup.

Based on all of this feedback, the commissioners of the PQBFL were very undecided. 

There are two ways to decide on what's best to do.  The first way is to stick to the letter of the law.  The second way is to decide what's the most fair overall.  Based on the first way, here is the league's rule:

If an owner does not announce his players before the games, the players that started the week before automatically start that week. 

Based on this, the INTENT is to say that the commissioners and/or other league members must be notified of the lineup before the deadline.  However, it does not clearly put responsibility on the team owner to make sure someone received it.  By giving week #14's lineup, obviously this is in accordance to the rule.  By giving week #15's lineup, this is not necessarily against the rule because the lineup was in fact announced before the deadline (nobody is disputing that) and the rule does not specify if the owner is responsible for making sure someone received the lineup, although this is clearly implied by the rule.  So relying on the rule is not the best way to go to make a decision.

The decision has to be made based on what's fair.  Because opinions in the league varied, it is not possible to make everybody happy.  But as long as everybody accepts that the decision is fair, it will be an appropriate decision.  The commissioners asked themselves the following question to decide what's best to do:

Imagine you are playing in a matchup league and you are in the final of the league.  Which situation is the most unfair, the most frustrating?

1. You do not receive the other team's lineup before the deadline.  Based on the previous week's lineup, you win by 5 pts.  Then the commissioner of the league tells you that you lost the final because your opponent did send his lineup before the deadline, but the e-mail was not received by anybody.  Based on the revised lineup you lost the final by 4 pts.  His decision is final.  You lost.

2. You send your lineup before the deadline and you watch the games.  You win the final by 5 pts.  Then the commissioner of the league tells you that nobody received your lineup, so you get the previous week's lineup.  With that lineup, you lose by 4 pts.  The decision is final.  You lost.

Both situations are very frustrating and you get fucked in the ass hole.  But which one is the most unfair?  The co-commissioners judged that situation #2 is the most frustrating.  Situation #1 is unfair indeed, but we would feel as if we won the league not because we are better, but because the e-mail of our opponent did not work.  If our opponent had forgotten to give his lineup, it would be a different situation because it would be the opponent's fault.  But in the case of the e-mail, it was reasonable for the owner to think that the new lineup was in. 

Based on this, the commissioners decided to give OldNo7 the lineup that was sent on Saturday but that was not received by anybody because we trust that it was done, because nobody is disputing that, and because giving the week #15 lineup is not as unfair to other teams as fucking OldNo7 simply because internet did not work properly.  However, the commissioners will adopt WaxOnWaxOff's suggestion immediately.  All owners must make sure that someone received their lineup before the deadline.  We cannot afford to have this situation happen again because there could be an abuse.  The responsibility is on the owner to make sure the roster was received.  Check the website on Sunday before 1pm.  If your lineup is not there, it may be because nobody got it, or because I am not home and I could not update the website.  You have to find out. 

I hope that all parties will find this decision acceptable even though they may not agree with it in the first place.  Thank you.

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