FanHouse

In a rare case of a team being sanctioned by the league for impermissible contact with a player, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has ruled in favor of the Bears and against the 49ers in the tampering case surrounding linebacker Lance Briggs.

The punishment: The 49ers will forfeit their fifth-round pick in this year's NFL draft, and the teams will trade their picks in the third round of the draft, meaning Chicago will get the seventh pick in the third round while San Francisco will get the 12th pick in the third round.

Goodell ruled that the 49ers committed tampering by contacting Briggs' agent, Drew Rosenhaus, to talk about Briggs during the 2007 season. The 49ers and Bears almost pulled off a trade in 2007, but Briggs ultimately finished the season with the Bears and then signed a long-term contract extension to stay in Chicago this month.

So, for the 49ers, it's a loss of one draft pick and the diminished value of another, all for trying to tamper with a player -- and not even succeeding. Not the smartest of moves for the San Francisco front office.