Cheering for your favorite team (or against the one you hate), makes it easy to forget that NFL players are employees. If they violate team or league rules and regulations, they can be fined or even suspended. But suspensions do more than just create chaos in your fantasy football season; they speak to the effectiveness of the NFL’s compliance program. David Bligh of AlixPartners has crunched the numbers to determine whether the NFL’s disciplinary policies are working — and what lessons compliance teams in more traditional fields can take.
The NFL’s 103rd season kicks off this week, and most fans are filled with optimism for their teams’ chances of winning a Super Bowl. There is, however, another reason for a positive outlook: The league has experienced a downward trend in suspensions and fines since 2017, suggesting that the NFL’s disciplinary programs are effectively disincentivizing players from violating its rules and regulations. How can companies take this data and apply it to their compliance programs?
We analyzed the data the NFL publicizes about player infractions and resulting disciplinary actions to identify potential insights and lessons for companies seeking to evaluate or enhance the design of their compliance programs.
Per the DOJ’s “Evaluation of Corporate Compliance…
