Of Note: "AFK" Status

The semifinals were not without some controversy, and as such, a new line of protocol will be written into the Larkspur Bowl charter.

Hill Valley's Manager Mike Verrino was on a plane this past Sunday and requested the Commissioner look over his team while he was unable to participate in the game. This happens from time to time throughout the season, as various managers have contacted me to oversee their team over the years, and is an understandable component of living a busy lifestyle. However, as I too was preoccupied (at work) I was unable to comply with this request, failing to notice the surprise inactivity of David Njoku until well after the fact. 

In the end I removed Njoku from the lineup, leaving it to the discretion of the manager to replace him with available personnel. Ultimately, his replacement Nick Vannett scored 6.5 points, a number that did not impact the final margin of victory, and therefore becomes a footnote in Larkspur Bowl history. Had the semifinal matchup between Hill Valley and HCM City proved to be closer, I expect there would be some controversy this morning!

AS SUCH, moving forward into 2020 and Larkspur Bowl XII:

Teams will be allowed to throw three "AFK" flags per season, by way of announcing publicly on our Facebook group that they will be "Away From Keyboard" for the upcoming matchup and request Commissioner assistance in roster optimization. To declare AFK status, post on the group's wall, tagging the commish and your opponent for the week, to ensure everything is handled on the up and up.

This request can be made at any time and carries through the end of said week, but will only allow for changes from that point forward, with no retroactive moves allowed- so, if you throw an "AFK" flag at 1:30pm EST on a Sunday, it will not apply to games that have already begun. 

Declaring "AFK" status will result in any players that are listed as 'inactive' or 'out' prior to kickoff (for injury, coaches' decision, suspension, or otherwise) to be removed from the game. If a player is officially active for the game, they will remain in the lineup even if they fail to take the field for a single snap.

A replacement will only be slotted in if: The "AFK" manager indicates a specific player available on the bench to replace the inactive player, or in lieu of instruction, a player of the same position is available on the bench. If there are multiple available players on the bench and no instructions have been given, the available player with the highest Y! projection will be plugged in at the discretion of the commissioner. If there are no available players at a position left on the bench, the slot will remain vacant, with the "AFK" manager responsible for adding a player. Chronology will apply, and only players with the same or later start times can be plugged in.

The commissioner WILL NOT add a player to a team directly.

The only exception is an accidental drop, which should also be posted publicly on the facebook group, and will only be reversed if the manager immediately realizes their mistake, with no allocation for dropper's remorse.

The limit of three "AFK" flags is to prevent a manager from simply declaring AFK status every week, as the onus for roster management should remain largely on the individual, except for in extraordinary situations. Preferably "AFK" status will be a rare occurrence moving forward. Managers should be prepared to be present to manage their team in at least 13 of 16 weeks. There will be no added accommodation for the playoffs, so please utilize your three "AFK" statuses wisely.