The 49ers Might Have Been the League's New Sacrificial Lamb - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

Yesterday word came down from up high that the 49ers broke the league's tampering rules (shock!) while dealing with Lance Briggs. The punishment isn't anywhere near what the Patriots got for their little Spygate thing (you might have heard of it), but dropping picks in the third round and losing a fifth-rounder entirely will have an impact on the 49ers, leaving them justifiably miffed. Especially seeing as how they might not have ever really tampered.

From what I can gather, the only solid evidence against the 49ers during the hearing was a phone record of two calls the club placed to agent Drew Rosenhaus, who represents Bears linebacker Lance Briggs.

One story is that there were two "missed calls" with no voice messages. The second version - essentially corroborating the first report - was that there were two "20-second" phone calls. In other words, a 20-second phone call is a "missed call."

Obviously, two 20-second missed phone calls (if these reports are believed) don't indicate any discussion regarding Briggs whatsoever, especially with Rosenhaus representing many 49ers that the calls could have legally been about. Matt Maiocco also reports that the 49ers and Bears talked trade, essentially permitting them to speak with Briggs, and that furthermore the 49ers' interest in Briggs was minimal.

PFT has a great take on this perplexing issue. Why would the league punish the 49ers when they've got no credible evidence and 31 other teams committing the same crime? They're being made the sacrificial lamb, as the Patriots were for every team that films another team's signals. Because the league wants to prove to Arlen Specter everyone that it's on top of its own legislation, the 49ers are getting screwed.