Constitution

We the Managers of the Gas House in Order to form a more perfect Hobby establish Justice, insure relative Tranquility, provide for the common manager, promote the general Competition and secure the Blessings of Hilarity to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the Gas House Fantasy Football League.

Article I – League Officers

Section 1: Introduction

Your league officers are available if you have any questions or require assistance.

For league-specific issues, please contact the league commissioner first.  If the league commissioner is unavailable, contact one of the co-commissioners.  If you cannot contact a commissioner or co-commissioner, and your issue is time-sensitive (for instance, if you are requesting a roster modification because you don’t have access to the Internet), please use the league message board to make your request.  In this way, we can verify the time of your request and make your roster change retroactively if necessary.

Section 2: League Commissioner

Jon Willard

Responsibilities of the League Commissioner include:

• Provide direction to the league with a focus on league fairness and competition and emphasizing continuous improvement and adaptation to changes within the NFL and the greater fantasy community.
• The primary point of contact (POC) for members to voice general complaints and suggestions.
• Author and update the league constitution.
• Renew the league and invite managers as needed.
• Set league schedule. (see Addendum I)
• Establish draft time/date.
• Support the VCO as the final arbiter on discrepancies in rules.
• Review and approve keeper designations.
• Accept/Veto trade submissions.
• Maintain a presence on the group messaging system.

Section 3: Co-commissioners

Jordan Novelly – Vice Commissioner of Operations (VCO)

Responsibilities of the VCO include:

• Maintenance and enforcement of league rules and guidance to managers under the league constitution and within the constraints of the host site.
• POC for league members to voice complaints and suggestions related to rules or settings.
• Maintain an intimate understanding of the league constitution and support the Commissioner with edits as needed.
• Maintain administrative rights to the league website and support the Commissioner, VCE, and Web Admin with edits as needed.
• Arbitrate rule discrepancies submitted by the Commissioner.
• Collect dues & distribute payouts.
• Accept/Veto trade submissions that include the Commissioner, or in the absence of the Commissioner.
• Maintain a presence on the group messaging system.

Nathan Novelly – Vice Commissioner of Engagement (VCE)

Responsibilities of VCE include:

• Establishment, distribution, and promotion of guidelines and provisions focused on league activity and engagement.
• POC for league members to voice complaints and suggestions related to participation and engagement.
• Solicit feedback from the league to generate the EoSS. Generate the survey, distribute it to the league, and compile results to be discussed with the Commissioner and VCO.
• Ensure that the league calendar is current and accurate.
• Maintain an intimate understanding of the league constitution.
• Accept/Veto trade submissions between the Commissioner and VCO, or in the absence of the Commissioner and VCO.
• Maintain a presence on the group messaging system while establishing and updating guidelines for organization and interaction.

Section 4: League Treasurer

The VCO is the acting league treasurer. All league dues and payouts will be made electronically unless the affected manager and VCO have mutually decided on an alternative method.

Section 5: Impeachment

To prevent league leadership from becoming lax, and to promote interest among other league members, rules for impeachment are as follows:

At any point in the off-season (see Off-Season in Article G) a manager who does not have any administrative responsibilities may impeach one of the league officers. This impeachment, limited to once per position, per off-season, will act as a claim that the impeaching manager believes that they can perform the officer’s duties better than they are currently being performed. Both the challenger and officer will be required to submit a presentation to the league, justifying why they are best suited to the role. This presentation is not restricted in format, length, formality, or content. Each presentation must be submitted within two weeks of the challenge, or the tardy party will automatically forfeit their claim to the position.

The league and officers will review the submissions, with all members being encouraged to provide their opinions. After the two-week period is complete the senior ranking league officer, who was not impeached, will choose the victor. Any changes to league administration will immediately take effect.

Managers may not impeach more than one officer each off-season. It is also at the discretion of the league commissioner to grant a temporary stay if the right to impeach an officer is being abused. This temporary stay will be granted to prevent any individual from being involved too frequently in the impeachment process.

Article II – League Entry & Other Fees

Section 1: Dues

The following fees will be collected yearly to finance league operations and prizes.

Entry Fee: $100 Total per Team.

Section 2: Trophy Engraving & Shipping

It will be the responsibility of the commissioner to order updated plaques for the traveling championship trophy. The previous year’s champion is responsible for shipping/carrying the trophy to the new league champion in a timely fashion. Money shall be allocated from league dues to facilitate these tasks. See Article III – Prize Payout Structure for details.

New Trophy Plates may be purchased from: http://affordable-trophies.com, reference “Previous Order Number: 505526JW” at check-out.

Article III – Prize Payout Structure

Our league awards cash prizes to the top three teams after the Championship playoffs are complete.  We also award a cash prize to the “Regular Season Champion”, which is the team that is in first place after the regular season. Dollar amounts are based on ten (10) teams submitting payment. If a lesser amount is received, relative percentages can be used for reference to the total prize pool:

Payout Structure

• 1st Place: $500.00
• 2nd Place: $250.00
• 3rd Place: $100.00
• Regular season “Champion”: $100.00
• Designated funds for Shipping/Engraving: $50.00

Shipping/Engraving Overflow

If costs associated with engraving and shipping of the championship trophy are less than the allocated amount, the balance shall be wagered on behalf of the league, and all winnings shall be shared evenly across all managers. The nature of the wager shall be at the discretion of the VCO, based on feedback from the current champion.

Article IV – Payment Deadline

League dues are required to be submitted to the VCO by August 1st, before the beginning of a new season.

Any manager who has not submitted their league dues before this deadline shall be removed from the league, effective immediately.

Article V – Playoff Configuration

The league will implement a four-team Championship playoff system. Each of the two divisional winners will be granted a playoff berth. Divisional winners are determined by overall record, with tiebreakers being a divisional record, regular-season points scored, and head-to-head score. The remaining two (Wild Card) slots will be filled by the 3rd and 4th place team as determined by the overall record, then total points, with “higher points against” used as a tiebreaker if necessary. The Championship playoffs start on week 16 and last two weeks.

This league also implements a four-team Consolation playoff bracket for the teams finishing the regular season in 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th place. The seeding for this bracket will be determined in the same manner as the Championship wild card positions. The final standings of the Consolation bracket will determine the position in the draft pick selection process for the following year’s fantasy draft.

Article VI – Draft Order Determination

Each year, the draft position for each fantasy team will be assigned based on the results of the previous year.

Draft Order

1^st Draft Position – 5^th Place Finisher
2^nd Draft Position – 6^th Place Finisher
3^rd Draft Position – 9^th Place Finisher
4^th Draft Position – 10^th Place Finisher
5^th Draft Position – 7^th Place Finisher
6^th Draft Position – 8^th Place Finisher
7^th Draft Position – 4^th Place Finisher
8^th Draft Position – 3^rd Place Finisher
9^th Draft Position – 2^nd Place Finisher
10^th Draft Position – League Champion

If a team has an off-season change in management, the assigned draft position will remain tied to the team to maintain the balance of Keeper picks.

Article VII – Player Acquisitions

Players can be added in three ways:

Section 1: Free Agent Acquisition

A player designated as a free agent can be immediately added to the team with no cost incurred, provided that the maximum number of players on a roster is not exceeded. If the maximum number could be exceeded, another player must be dropped for the transaction to process, as determined by the league hosting service.

Section 2: Waiver Wire Acquisition

A player who has been placed on waivers can be added after a one-day waiver period. A player is designated as being “on waivers” as soon as he is dropped by a manager. He will also be “on waivers” from the moment his team kicks off in a given week until approximately 3:00 am on the following Wednesday morning.

While a player is “on waivers” all managers are encouraged to submit requests for the player in a manner similar to a free agent acquisition. In addition to submitting a request, which may include dropping a player currently on the requesting manager’s roster, a monetary bid can also be made. This bid will be taken from the manager’s free-agent acquisition budget (see FAAB in Article G). If two managers bid the same amount, the player with a more favorable waiver priority (a lower number) will receive the player. The waiver priority is the reverse order of the standings.

Section 3: Trades

For a trade to be granted in a given week, it must be accepted through our hosting service no later than two hours before game time. This gives the commissioner, VC, or MoG sufficient time to review and approve the trade before the games begin. Any trades that are submitted through the website within two hours of game time cannot be guaranteed to be reviewed and may need to be resubmitted after the conclusion of the week’s games. Players who have already played on a given week cannot be traded until the following week.

Once accepted through the hosting service, a trade cannot be withdrawn by one party due to player injury, suspension, or any other unforeseen circumstance.  The only way a trade can be voided is if it is withdrawn by both parties before the trade is approved by league executives.

A trade involving the commissioner must be approved by the VC, while a trade involving BOTH the commissioner AND the VC must be approved by the MoG.

The only reasons a trade would be vetoed:

1. Obvious collusion is taking place between managers, resulting in a lopsided trade.
2. One manager is unaware of current news (injury, suspension, etc), thereby inappropriately valuing a player.

Trading Draft Picks

• 3rd-round draft picks and 16th-round draft picks are designated for keeper players
• If a pick from one of these rounds is traded, any designated keepers will replace the next available pick preceding the initially designated round. (e.g., Manager A trades his 3rd round pick, so his second keeper will replace his 2nd round pick.)

Trade Deadline

All trades must be submitted before 10:00 pm EST on Wednesday immediately preceding Week 12 games. The MoG will be responsible for generating a calendar alert for this event, while the Commissioner and VC are responsible for enforcing the deadline and reviewing all submitted trades in a timely fashion.

Off-season Rosters

League rosters will be locked as soon as a team is eliminated from the Championship or Consolation playoffs, and they have no games remaining. All rosters will be locked upon kickoff of Monday Night Football in Week 16. 

Preseason Trade Window

Teams will be unlocked for the purpose of trading one month before draft day. All FAAB will be reset to $100, but the free-agent pool will remain locked. The preseason trade window will be treated as an extension of the previous season. Obtained players will be treated as if they ended the season on the receiving manager’s team when considering keeper status.

Article VIII – New Rules

As part of an ongoing effort for transparency and fairness in our league operation, a league Constitution has been created. This document, maintained by the Commissioner and the Vice-Commissioner, will serve as the source for all league rules throughout the year.

Should a ruling decision fall outside the bounds of the constitution, the Commissioner will decide at the moment. The Vice-Commissioner and Minister of Gas will act as the subsequent arbiters if there is reasonable bias in a ranking official. It will be the responsibility of the ranking official to acknowledge this bias and to remove themselves from the decision-making process. 

At the end of each season, an End of Season Survey or similar discussion (see EoSS in Article G) will be generated by the commissioner. This survey will include a review of all recently updated or changed rules, in addition to any new proposals that have been mentioned throughout the season. Voting will take place on all points, with the outcomes being determined based on a plurality. In the event of a tie, the commissioner will use his infinite wisdom to cast the deciding vote. Results will be added to the league constitution.

Suggestions for the EoSS should be made to the designated #suggestions channel for ready access by the Commissioner. Comments on these suggestions should take place within a nested thread.

1. For a proposal to be included in the EoSS, it must receive the support of at least one manager in the #suggestions channel. Support can be expressed in a comment or “like”.
2. All proposals must be worded in a way that allows for a “yay” or “nay” response. Open-ended discussions are incredibly challenging to review and evaluate through additional votes.
3. The number of times a proposal is included in the EoSS shall be monitored by the Commissioner. Based on this tracking:
   1. The number of times a proposal has been discussed in the EoSS will be included in the proposition.
   2. Unless a new rule is deliberately described with probationary conditions it will not be eligible for review in the next EoSS. The proposal can be reviewed again in two years if requested.
   3. Any proposal will become permanent, and ineligible for additional review after being reviewed on three separate occasions.

Article IX – Rosters

Each team will be made up of 15 players (10 starters and five bench spots) and two IR slots (see IR Slot in Appendix G)

Each starting roster will be composed of: 

• One Quarterback
• Two Wide Receivers
• Two Running Backs
• One Tight End
• One Flex Player (eligible to be designated as a Wide Receiver, Running Back, or Tight End)
• One Kicker
• Two Generic Defensive Players

Article X – Keeper Settings

The league has implemented the following rules regarding “keeper players”. These rules were put into effect on January 2nd, 2022, and were immediately applied to all end-of-season rosters following this vote. The rules will be reviewed and amended in early 2023.

Section 1: Standard Rules

1. Each manager may designate up to two keepers per season.
2. Keeper #1 will take the place of the manager’s last draft pick.
3. Keeper #2 (if chosen) will take the place of the manager’s 3rd round draft pick.
4. A manager may redesignate a keeper if he is injured before draft day, and expected to miss the entire season.

Section 2: New Manager Accommodations

If a manager needs to be replaced in the off-season, the incoming manager may choose to “opt-out” of designating keepers from their newly acquired roster, using the aforementioned system. Instead, this manager will be given 48 hours from the keeper designation deadline to choose one (1) player to be designated as their keeper. This player must satisfy the following requirements:

1. Rostered in the previous year
2. Not designated as a keeper by another manager

Article XI – Scoring Settings

The league will use the following scoring settings with fractional points being rounded to the nearest one-hundredth.

Article G – Glossary

A glossary of terms and abbreviations used in this document.

• 1-up Rule – A rule defining the cost of a player designated as a keeper to be one round higher than the player was drafted in the previous season.
• EoSS – End of Season Survey, a formal survey of the league, sent by the commissioner in order to evaluate and adjust league settings immediately following the conclusion of the playoffs.
• FAAB – Each manager will be given a Free Agent Acquisition Budget of $100 at the conclusion of each season. This budget can be spent on waiver wire acquisitions, with the highest amount bid being exchanged for the player in question. All lower bids will be retained by the losing managers. This budget can also be traded by making a designation in the “notes” section of the trade and sending a screenshot to league executives.
• GHFFL – Gas House Fantasy Football League, also referred to as “the league”
• IR Slot – A roster spot that can only be filled by a player who has been designated as “Out” or one that has been placed on injured reserve, or “IR”. A player can be added directly to this position from the free-agent pool or waiver wire. However, when a player is no longer designated with the “Out” or “IR” status, he must be removed from the IR roster spot before any other acquisitions can be made through trading, waiver wire additions, or free agency acquisitions.
• Keeper – A player that is designated to be kept by a manager, thereby removing this player from the pool of available players to be drafted. In exchange, the manager forfeits a draft pick in accordance with keeper settings defined in Article X.
• MoG – Minister of Gas, a member of the executive team defined in Article I
• Off-Season – The time period following the conclusion of the fantasy playoffs. The off-season is concluded when keeper picks are established for the following year.
• Sandwich Rule – A keeper rule that goes into effect when two players have the same cost. The cost of one player is increased by one round, while the other is decreased by one round. (Example: Two players, each incurring a cost of one 4^th round pick will instead incur a cost of one 3^rd and one 5^th round draft pick. The exception being two players incurring a cost of one 1^st round each, who will instead incur a cost of one 1^st and one 2^nd round draft pick.)
• VC – Vice Commissioner, a member of the executive team defined in Article I

Addendum 1 – Season Schedule

Each season’s schedule will be set in such a way that each team will face every team in their division twice, four teams in the opposing division once, and one team in the opposing division twice. Divisional matchups will take place at the beginning and end of each season, with inter-divisional play taking place in the middle. Rivalry weeks will be designated as the first and last week in the regular season (Week 1 and Week 14). League Rivals are as follows:

• Mike Prill vs. Jimmy Massarelli
• Nathan Novelly vs. Jordan Novelly
• Mike Getty vs. Chris Zelenak
• Jon Willard vs. Nat Wetzel
• Ryan Barlow vs. Devin Moore

Addendum 2 – 2017 EoSS Results

The following changes were made following the 2017 EoSS:

1. Article VII: Player Acquisitions – Section 3 – Trades, includes sections detailing
   1. Trading Draft Picks
   2. Off-season Rosters
   3. Preseason Trade Window
2. Article X: Keeper Settings: Section 1 – Standard Rules, expanded to include #6, #7, #8, and #9
3. Article I: League Officers: Section 5 – Impeachment, expanded to include 2-year terms
4. Article VIII: New Rules, expanded to include #suggestions channel

Addendum 3 – 2018 Preseason Survey Results

The following changes were made following the 2018 Preseason Survey:

1. Article X: Keeper Settings – Section 1 – Standard Rules, Line #3 and #4 were updated to maintain “repeat keeper” status when players are traded. Line #8 was changed to allow for draft order to be designated two weeks prior to the draft, and one week before keepers are designated.
2. Article X: Keeper Settings – Section 2 & Section 3, Updated to take place one week before the draft, and one week after the draft order is chosen.
3. Article X: Keeper Settings – Section 4, Added to accommodate new managers
4. Addendum 1: Season Schedule, Updated to replace Anthony Panza with Ryan Barlow
   • Divisions & Rivalries to be reevaluated in the 2018 EoSS
5. Draft Day 2018 voted to take place on August 25th
   • Draft Order to be chosen on August 11th
   • Keepers to be designated by 11:59 pm on August 18th

Addendum 4 – Trade Deadline Clarification

The following update was made to Section 3 of Article VII, regarding the yearly trade deadline. This ruling was discussed and approved in the 2016 EoSS.

Trade Deadline

All trades must be submitted prior to 10:00 pm EST on Wednesday immediately preceding Week 11 games. **The GHFFL trade deadline was amended to precede week 12 when the NFL season was extended to 17 games** The MoG will be responsible for generating a calendar alert for this event, while the Commissioner and VC are responsible for enforcing the deadline and reviewing all submitted trades in a timely fashion.

Addendum 5 – 2018 EoSS Results

The following changes were made following the 2018 End of Season Survey:

1. Article IX – Rosters, Section 3: Roster Oversights, which currently punishes managers with two empty roster spots by awarding them zero points for the week, will now be amended to include: “This penalty can be avoided if the manager provides written warning to the commissioner or league prior to the relevant kick-off.”
2. Article XI – Scoring Settings, Will be updated to remove the 5 point bonus for 100-yard rushing games.
3. Article VII – Player Acquisitions, Section 3: Trades will be updated to include a minimum amount for trades including FAAB ($5 or all remaining FAAB)
4. Article XI – Scoring Settings will be updated to award 3 points for blocked kicks, formerly worth 2 points.
5. Draft day is set for August 24th, 2019 at 9:00 pm, and can only be changed by unanimous vote. The vote will be initiated in the event that two managers are forced to cancel.
6. Article VIII – New Rules, will be updated to include the following restrictions on proposals to future EoSS:
   1. In order for a proposal to be included in the EoSS, it must receive the support of at least one manager in the #suggestions channel. Support can be expressed in a comment or “like”.
   2. All proposals must be worded in a way that allows for a “yay” or “nay” response. Open-ended discussions are incredibly challenging to review and evaluate through additional votes.
   3. The number of times a proposal is included in the EoSS shall be monitored by the Commissioner. Based on this tracking:
      1. The number of times a proposal has been discussed in the EoSS will be included in the proposition.
      2. Unless a new rule is deliberately described with probationary conditions it will not be eligible for review in the next EoSS. The proposal can be reviewed again in two years if requested.
      3. Any proposal will become permanent, and ineligible for additional review, after being reviewed on three separate occasions.

Addendum 6 – Weekly Payout Update

Beginning the 2021 Season, the league voted (9-1) to remove all weekly payouts in exchange for season-long payouts. 

The league also voted (6-4) to keep the 3rd Place Payout at $25. This cannot be revisited until the 2023 off season unless the entire league fees structure is changed. 

New Breakdown of Funds:

1st $75, 2nd $50, 3rd $25, Plaque expenses $10, Season-long payouts $90

Here are the nine new payouts ($10 each):

1. Largest Margin of Victory (Single Week)
2. Hardest Strength of Schedule (Weekly Average PA)
3. Most Points in a Single Week
4. Most Points from Kickers (Season Total)
5. Most Points from Drafted Players (Season Total)
6. Most Points from Acquired Players (Season Total)
7. Most Rushing Yards (Season Total)
8. Most Receiving Yards (Season Total)
9. Most Passing Yards (Season Total)

Addendum 7 – 2019 EoSS Results

The following changes were made following the 2019 End of Season Survey:

1. Article VII – Player Acquisitions, Section 3: Trades, Updated to include rules for a “trade back to neutral” when exchanging future draft picks, by exchanging previously obtained draft picks in reverse order. e.g. “Manager A” gains a 5th round pick in exchange for a 3rd round pick from “Manager B”. In order to reset these same managers must exchange these exact picks. Meaning, “Manager A” must gain his original 3rd round pick from “Manager B”, while giving “Manager B” his original 5th round pick. The result is a “net-zero” effect on the overall draft board.
2. Article IX: Rosters, Section 1: Roster Spots, Updated to change IR spots from one (1) to two (2).

Addendum 8 – 2022 Postseason Meeting Results

The following changes were made following the 2022 Postseason Meeting:

1. Article X – Keeper Settings: Rewritten for simplicity and balance.
2. Article VII: Player Acquisitions, Section 3: Trades, Updated to remove restrictions.

Addendum 9 – 2023 Offseason Meeting Results

The following changes were made following the 2023 Offseason Meeting:

1. Article I – League Officers: Updated to clarify payment expectations and responsibilities. Removal of term limits.
2. Article II – League Entry and Other Fees: Updated to reflect an increase of league dues to $100.
3. Article III – Prize Payout Structure: Included changes to payout structure and details of engraving/shipping allocation.
4. Article IV – Payment Deadline: Introduced deadline of August 1st for payment of league dues.
5. Article VI – Draft Order Determination: Eliminated draft order selection
6. Article IX – Rosters: Updated to remove DB slot, and removed penalties for truant managers and roster oversights.
7. Article X – Keeper Settings: Updated to allow for trading of 3rd and 16th-round picks.

Addendum 10 – 2024 Offseason Changes

The following changes were made following the 2024. Based on votes from GHFFL Mangers on Suggested Changes:

1. Article I – Removal of Divisions: Divisions were removed to make scheduling easier and playoff seeding more simple. The top 4 teams move onto the playoff and placement within a division is no longer a factor.
2. Article II – Doubtful Players to IR: Changed the setting within Sleeper that a player designated as Doubtful may be placed on IR. The league remains at 2 total IR positions
3. Article III – Roster Substitutions: A change was made based on new Sleeper settings that allows a manager to designate one substitution player each week, should a starter be ruled out of the game. Stipulations state that the substituted player much hold the same requirements to be placed in said position on the starting roster. And the substituted player’s game must not have already started in order to be eligible.
4. Article IV – New alignment of Rivalry Week: As decided by the league officers. Rivalry weeks will now be Weeks 4 and 15. This allows each manager to play against their rival without worry of a player on bye. This also makes the last game of the regular season more interesting by making it a rival matchup. Managers will play their Rival 2x each season and all other mangers one or two times, depending on random scheduling.