Section 1 – League Rules

1.    RULE VIOLATIONS – If at any time a Doomsday league member violates any of the established rules, member duties or Champion Laws then they are to be disciplined by the commissioner with Doomsday Council input when needed. The commissioner may assign the member a strike or financial penalty. All members are allotted three strikes per season and any money collected from penalties will be added to the Doomsday petty cash fund. If three strikes have been accumulated in a single season, the member shall be removed from the league in the following offseason. At that time, the next eligible individual on the wait list will be offered the open spot in the league. The conditions of the punishment process are as follows;

1.1.    The league member who has been assigned a strike shall have the opportunity to appeal to the Doomsday Council. The member shall present their argument and the council may revise the original punishment at their discretion.
1.2.    A removed member may only be added to the bottom of the wait list (See League Rules item 14) if deemed eligible to do so by the Doomsday Council. 
1.3.    If the Doomsday Council rules that the violating member must leave the league in the middle of a season, it will be determined by council if the incoming member shall administer the team or the commissioner for the rest of the season.  
1.4.    Strikes shall be tracked on the Doomsday FFL website under Front Office > Strike Tracker. 

2.    DUES – The yearly dues of $200 are due the day of the live draft with few exceptions. An extension must be communicated to and agreed upon by the commissioner ahead of time if required. If dues are not paid, the member will be subject to immediate removal from the league allowing the next person up on the wait list to take their spot. The removed member may only be added to the bottom of the wait list (See League Rules item 14) if deemed eligible by the Doomsday Commissioner. 

3.    LINEUP MAINTENANCE - All members are responsible for setting their lineups each week of the season with no exceptions. All starting positions must be occupied with an active player. This includes the regular season and playoff weeks. All lineups must be set with the intention of scoring the most points possible to the best of the members knowledge and ability. It is important to remember that the outcome of any contest can impact others Doomsday member standings to make the playoffs and/or seeding for the playoffs. If suspicion exists of possible point shaving, it is to be presented to the commissioner for review. The Doomsday Council will convene, determine if the offense was purely accidental or malicious, and decide the punishment for the offender (See League Rules item 1). The member in question does have the right to appeal the decision of the council by presenting evidence of why they made the roster decision. Standard lineup punishment consists of; 

3.1.    First offense in a season: A strike is given 
3.2.    Second offense in a season: A strike and $20 penalty per player in the starting lineup that was either out due to injury, did not play for personal reasons, on a bye, or deemed a part of a point shaving scheme.
3.3.    Third offense in a season: A strike, $20 penalty per player, and removal from the league in the following off season to be added to the bottom of the wait list.

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If point shaving is determined to have occurred by the Doomsday Council, then the offender will receive a strike and $40 penalty. If multiple point shaving violations occur then the Doomsday Council may rule on the individuals standing in the league. All money collected from penalties will be added to the Doomsday petty cash fund. Below are examples of point shaving and behavior that will not be tolerated.

3.4.    Shaving points to win a weekly payout. In this situation, if found guilty, in addition to the Doomsday Council punishment the member will also be disqualified from the weekly payout contention. 
3.5.    Shaving points to alter the standings for desired playoff matchups. 
3.6.    Shaving points to help overall records of other members (Collusion- See League Rules item 4).
3.7.    Emptying starting lineup positions for any reason.

4.    COLLUSION - There is to be no collusion of any kind in the Doomsday League. Any suspicion of collusion shall be reported to the commissioner by an active member and reviewed by the Doomsday Council. If a member is found guilty of collusion their fate will be decided by the Doomsday Council (See League Rules item 1). This includes but not limited to player dumping and advantageous roster adjustments to benefit another member of the league in the current season or the following season.

5.    SCORING - The scoring, number/type of players, and structure of the fantasy league shall be set at the beginning of the season on the ESPN league group and will not be altered until after the season is over. 

5.1.    The ESPN.com league settings may not be altered by a “Champion Law”.
5.2.    Any desired changes must be submitted through the Doomsday website or to a Doomsday Council member for the offseason vote. 

6.    DRAFT ORDER - The draft order will be some mix of a lotto system, random drawing or activity decided by the Gaming Czar. All league members will receive one base entry into the drawing. The previous year’s “Hoe” will be receive three additional entries, 11th place will be receive two additional entries, and 10th place will receive one additional entry into the draft drawing. The lottery will decide the order in which each league member chooses their draft position. The draft lotto will take place between June 1st and the first weekend of August per the decision of the Gaming Czar.

6.1.    At the draft lotto, Doomsday members that attend are awarded one additional entry into the draft drawing. 
6.2.    In the case a member is not present at the draft lotto but they have been selected, they will have five minutes to respond to phone calls and/or texts. If they cannot be reached within the five-minute period, they will be placed back in the draft drawing and the lotto will continue. 
6.3.    If multiple members cannot be reached at any point, they will fall to the end and be given spots decided by the present league members in the order they are selected. 

7.    DRAFT KEEPER - Each member of the league may keep one player from the previous year’s draft in exchange for the same round draft pick with the following limitations. (Not eligible if the member keeps a waiver claim, see League Rules item 8)

7.1.    The player must have been drafted in the 8th round or later.
7.2.    The player must have remained on the team’s roster the entire year without being dropped. Keeper eligibility is transferred in the case of a trade to a new owner.
7.3.    You may not keep the same player two years in a row.
7.4.    The player must have played in at least one NFL regular season game while on the members fantasy football roster, within the season they were drafted to be an eligible keeper.
7.5.    The keeper selected must be submitted to the commissioner 24 hours before the start of the draft. 
7.6.    If an existing franchise is taken over by a new member, then all keepers are removed from eligibility.

8.    WAIVER KEEPER (DLB_001) - Each member of the league may keep one player that they picked up off waivers from the previous year for their 4th round pick with the following limitations. (Not eligible if member keeps a drafted player, See League Rules item 7)

8.1.    The player must have been picked up from waivers within the first four weeks of the season. 
8.2.    The player must have remained on the team’s roster from week 5 through the end the season without being dropped. Week 5 is defined as the Tuesday following the Monday night game from week 4.
8.3.    Keeper eligibility is transferred in the case of a trade to a new owner.
8.4.    You may not keep the same player two years in a row or a player that was the current season keeper for another team.
8.5.    The player has to have played in at least one NFL regular season game while on the members fantasy football roster, within the season they were picked up from waivers.
8.6.    The player is not eligible if they were drafted by any Doomsday team within the first 7 rounds of the current year's draft. 
8.7.    The keeper selected must be submitted to the commissioner 24 hours before the start of the draft. 
8.8.    If you take over an existing franchise, then all keepers are removed from eligibility.

9.    DRAFT PICK TRADES - Doomsday league members have the option to trade draft picks with other members. The transaction may also include the trade of keepers. The following guidelines must be followed.

9.1.    All trades must be completed and submitted to the Doomsday Council 24 hours prior to the start of the draft. No draft pick trades may take place from this point until the season is over.
9.2.    A keeper can be part of a draft pick trade. The member trading a keeper away may still select from their other eligible keepers. The member receiving the keeper can still only have one keeper.
9.3.    In the situation that one member trades more picks than the other party involved in the trade, the resulting compensation pick(s) will be added to the end of the draft. 
9.4.    Future draft picks may be traded with the following guidelines; 

9.4.1.    Draft picks from the current year and following year only can be used in trades. 
9.4.2.    If future draft picks are traded, any member giving up future picks must post a “Security Deposit” that is equivalent to the current dues of the league to account for the situation in which that member leaves the league. 
9.4.3.    If a situation occurs where the member who traded a future pick (or picks) away leaves the league (by their decision or not), then they forfeit their security deposit(s). The member who would have received the future picks will receive the security deposit for the picks they would have received. 
9.4.4.    If the member receiving the future draft picks leaves the league (by their decision or not) the member who traded the picks will still not get them back. Their subsequent picks will still be held at the end of the draft. The member who traded the future picks away will still get their security deposit back though.
9.4.5.    A new member joining the league is not liable for previous trades that were made and do not have to honor them.  
9.4.6.    If the Doomsday council unanimously determines collusion has occurred in regard to the trading of future picks, then all active members involved will forfeit their security deposit and suffer any other discipline decided from the collusion league rule (See League Rules item 4). The forfeited money will be added to the petty cash fund. 
9.4.7.    Once the future draft picks traded are honored, the member who traded them away will be refunded their security deposits.

10.    PLAYOFF STRUCTURE - The Doomsday fantasy football league playoffs shall consist of the 6 teams with the best records at the conclusion of the regular season, week 14. The playoffs shall span 3 weeks consisting of weeks 15 through 17. In the case of a tie for a playoff spot, the team with the most points scored shall be chosen. Any conflicts shall be brought in front of the council for a decision. The top two seeded teams will be awarded a playoff bye in week 15 that will take them straight into the semi-final round.

11.    PAYOUTS - With each member of the league paying a $200 buy-in there will be $2400 in the pot. $340 will be used to give out a weekly payouts of $20 from week 1 through week 17 (all members eligible even during the playoffs). Weekly payouts will consist of random objectives that shall be announced each week by the Paymaker. The payouts for the teams that place are as follows; 1st - $1200, 2nd - $400, 3rd - $200, 4th - $100, and 5th - $50. The winner of the loser bracket, 7th place, shall receive $40. The remaining $70 will be distributed as follows; $50 to the Doomsday petty cash fund (trophy purchases, trophy maintenance, champion law activities, etc) and $20 for the Gaming Czar’s side tournament. 

12.    MANDATORY ATTENDANCE – All Doomsday members must be present, or if necessary, simply available for the Doomsday Draft. It should be of the upmost priority to attend the draft in person but if a member is unable to attend, they must be readily available via a reliable device to perform their draft. In addition, all members must participate in the offseason Strength & Conditioning Vote. If a member does not participate in the offseason vote the Doomsday Council will determine if a punishment is warrantied (See League Rules, item 1) and conclude the vote without their submissions. If absent for the draft, options can be found under Member Duties > Doomsday Draft Attendance.

13.    MEMBERSHIP BOUNDARY LIMITS - In an effort to maintain active membership in the Doomsday league, membership is highly encouraged to live in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The Metroplex region consists of 13 counties; Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant, and Wise (See the Doomsday FFL website under Rulebook > Appendix).  For applicants outside of the Metroplex region, please reference League Rules, item 14.

13.1.    Seniority Clause- All league founders and members who have been in the league for at least five consecutive years gain the roaming privilege. This meaning that senior league members can remain in the league, with no Doomsday Council approval, if they move outside of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Members who have not met the five consecutive years mark shall be referred to as “freshman members”.

14.    FREE AGENT WAIT LIST - Entry into the league is tracked with the Free Agent Wait List. Any applicant may submit their name to the commissioner for approval. If approved, the applicant’s name shall be added to the Free Agent List in chronological order. Once a vacancy becomes available in the league, the applicant at the top of the list will be invited. If the individual is unable to join at that time, the vacancy will be offered to the next individual on the list and the applicant who declined will drop to the bottom of the list. If the applicant lives outside of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex (See League Rules item 13), approval will be required by the Doomsday Council. For the current list see the Doomsday FFL website under Front Office > Wait List.

15.    TLA REQUEST (DLB_002) - A Doomsday league member may request a Temporary Leave of Absence (TLA) if the member is moving outside of the designated membership region (freshman members) and/or unable to maintain their status as an active member of the league for a justifiable reason(s). A written TLA request must be submitted to the Doomsday Council that includes the following information; (1) Description of the situation showing good cause for a TLA to be granted (2) Reasonable justification for a TLA request (3) End date of the TLA.

15.1.    APPROVAL OF TLA. All decisions for approval of a TLA shall be made by the Doomsday Council and the qualifying criteria for the approval of a TLA request will be determined solely by the Doomsday Council. If the TLA request is approved, the requesting member shall vacate the member’s spot as an active member to the next individual on the wait list. The requesting league member’s name shall be added to the top of the wait list only being placed behind any other previously approved TLA members. If the TLA request is denied by the Doomsday Council, the member may (1) elect to withdraw the TLA request and remain in the league, (2) surrender the member’s active member spot and add the member’s name to the bottom of the wait list, or (3) resign from the league. 
15.2.    VACANCY DURING TLA. If at any time a vacancy opens in the Doomsday League, the individuals on the wait list shall be considered in order moving down the list. If a member is currently on TLA when a vacancy opens up and such member is on the top of the wait list, the Doomsday Council shall notify said member that a vacancy has opened, within 3 days of receiving the council’s notice, the member must either (1) make a formal request to the Doomsday Council to terminate the TLA early and, if the termination is approved, rejoin the league; or (2) maintain TLA status and the vacancy will then be offered to the next individual on the wait list. If a member chooses to remain on TLA, the member will keep the same spot on the wait list. If the member fails to respond within the 3-day period, then the member’s TLA status will remain intact and the vacancy will be offered to the next individual on the wait list. Under no circumstances will the 3-day response period be extended unless unanimously approved by the Doomsday Council.
15.3.    HISTORICAL RECORDS. All historical records for Doomsday members on a TLA shall reflect the TLA, stay intact and resume once the TLA is over. If the league has no vacancies at the end of a TLA, then that member’s name shall remain on the wait list at the its position at the top.
15.4.    REQUEST TO EXTEND OR TERMINATE. Any requests to extend a TLA or terminate a TLA early must be made to and approved by the Doomsday Council. A TLA has a maximum duration of 5 years and no TLA shall be extended past the 5-year limit unless approved by the Doomsday Council for extreme circumstance.
15.5.    EXPIRATION OR TERMINATION OF TLA. At such time a member’s TLA expires or terminates, the member must choose either to (1) rejoin the league, (2) be placed at the bottom of the wait, or (3) resign from the league.
15.6.    MEMBERSHIP AND VOTING RIGHTS WHILE ON TLA. A member on a Doomsday TLA is still considered a member of the league and may still attend Doomsday events as a league member. Notwithstanding, all members’ voting rights shall be suspended while on TLA including the yearly Strength and Conditioning Vote.

16.    RESIGNATION FROM LEAGUE – If a member of the Doomsday league desires to resign from the league then they must simply notify the commissioner between the conclusion of the Doomsday season (week 17) and May 1st. Resignation is not permitted during the middle of the season. If a situation occurs where a member no longer participates during the season, the commissioner will take over the maintenance of their team by playing the highest ranked players according to ESPN on their roster and/or on the waiver wire (without using waiver claims). Once a member submits their resignation, the wait list will be used to fill the position (See League Rules item 14).