CHICAGO, Ill., — It's official, again. The NFL announced on Friday that the league has ruled against the Chicago Bears' appeal and will not be awarding them the compensatory picks they requested. The league officially closed the matter, stating that the draft order was set.
The league also released a statement on Friday with the decision.
"The policy is designed to provide picks for the Primary Football Executive position. The League determined Mr. Cunningham did not fill that role with the Falcons as it is defined in League rules."
Chicago was notified of the decision, originally a few weeks back, after reports suggested that they would not receive them. The Bears' case was that Cunningham fits the criteria for the Rooney Rule and is the general manager of the Atlanta Falcons. They believed that they should get the two third-round picks. The league states that President Matt Ryan is the primary football executive who makes decisions.
However, Ryan himself has said more than once that Cunningham is in charge of football decisions, leaving a gray area. In the end, the NFL's ruling stands, and now it opens up a lot of questions in the future about the rule and how it's interpreted.
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