Did Buccaneers GM Bruce Allen Rig the Coin Toss?

Now this is interesting. As we've previously reported at FanHouse, the Cleveland Browns received the third overall draft pick via a coin toss with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, meaning the Browns pick ahead of the Bucs in the first round of this year's NFL draft. As we've also reported, losing that coin toss and picking fourth could turn out to give the Bucs the player they want -- Georgia Tech receiver Calvin Johnson -- for $7 million less than they would have had to pay him if they had won the coin toss and picked third. So in a sense, losing the toss might have turned out to be very good, from a business perspective and a salary cap perspective, for the Bucs.

And now SI.com's Peter King reports that the Bucs controlled everything about that coin toss:

There was almost a mini-scandal in the coin flip for the third pick in the draft. The Bucs and Browns finished tied for the third pick, because their opponents' won-loss records were identical. So Friday morning, Savage and Tampa Bay GM Bruce Allen met in a Westin Hotel conference room to break the tie for the third pick of the draft. Imagine the significance here.
Allen came into the room with a coin he wanted to use, one from a military base in Florida. That was fine with Savage. League officials Joel Bussert and Ken Fiore ran it. Allen called heads. And when the coin went up in the air, Allen shouted, "Wait! Wait!'' The coin was plucked out of the air. And Allen said, "What are we going to do, let it fall to the floor or catch it and flip it over on your hand?'' Let it fall, he was told. He called heads again. It came up tails.

So Allen provided a special coin, Allen decided whether to call heads or tails, and Allen was obsessed with knowing whether the coin would fall to the ground or be caught in the air and turned over. Gee, does it sound like Allen knew whether heads or tails was coming up? And then it turns out that the result of the toss saved Allen's team $7 million?

I'm not a conspiracy theorist, and I'm also not so sure Johnson will be around with the fourth pick, but this is just strange. If the NFL is going to use a coin flip for something so important that it could mean $7 million to a team, shouldn't it ensure that the coin flip is fair?

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

2-27-2007 @ 11:18AM

Icheb said...

It's Savage's fault for accepting Allen's coin in the first place.

2-27-2007 @ 2:01PM

G said...

This is ridiculous. And who came up with this $7 mil. figure.What a bunch of hogwash.

2-27-2007 @ 1:37PM

In awe of your stupidity!! said...

So what if he brought the coin, called time-out in mid-air and then called the toss tails. He LOST the coin flip!! Conspiracy theorist you are not, but you are a complete MORON!!

2-27-2007 @ 3:33PM

Matt said...

You even mentioned the Bucs might not get their man. If they were to choose third they would get either Johnson, Joe Thomas, or Jamarcus Russell. All who would have fit the Bucs needs. I don't think Allen "rigged" the coin toss. Those military coins are not weighted and it was probably given to him by a high ranking official out of MacDill AFB. The Bucs show a lot of support for the military and this rumor is dumb. The fourth pick could have them choosing someone who doesn't fit their top needs so that would be idiotic for them to try and lose the toss

2-27-2007 @ 4:07PM

Sparky said...

He's right...This makes perfect sense to those that have business knowledge of how the contract's and the picks work out. Very interesting...

2-27-2007 @ 9:43PM

Bassett said...

$7 million is the right figure.. in terms of overall contract value. The number is not made up, I heard them say the same thing on NFL Network.

2-27-2007 @ 10:13PM

tony said...

of all the rumors to hear this has gotta be 1 of the stupidest

2-28-2007 @ 11:03AM

Browns Fan said...

Won't the Bucs seem a bit foolish and quite upset when the Browns trade this pick to Minnesota for their later 8th pick in RD.1 along with the Viks second round pick? Who will the Vikings take???
Charles Johnson WR., Georgia Tech !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2-28-2007 @ 10:35AM

Tass said...

'Overall contract value' is meaningless in the NFL. Only the signing bonus matters, and the difference between #3 and #4 will be nowhere near $7 million.

This 'theory' is silly.