What Is a Per Team Policy?

In many press releases put out by professional sports teams, the words "per team policy" will appear. "Per" is defined as "according to" while a team policy is an organization's principles about how to address certain situations. The expression often refers to a reason why the team will not talk about a certain situation, citing that it is not the team's policy to discuss such matters. A team may use the phrase "per team policy" to hide details about contracts, injuries, personal matters and rumored trades.

  1. Contracts

    • The most frequent use of the term "per team policy" is in regard to player contracts. A team will refuse to divulge the length and value of a player's contract, as it is not in the team's policy to do so. This not only protects the player's personal income from the public; it also keeps the team's finances private. Despite the team policy to not reveal these details, they often leak to the press through inside sources.

    Injuries

    • A professional team may also say that, per team policy, details of a player's injury will not be released. In certain physical sports, including football and hockey, this prevents opposing teams from targeting an injured player's specific body part. The team policy allows a coach to remain quiet when asked about these details.

    Personal Matters

    • Per team policies, most teams refuse to discuss personal details of a player's life. This can include a death in the player's family or a player's mental health. For example, a team may say that a player has left the team for personal reasons and, per team policy, further details will remain undisclosed.

    Rumors

    • As a courtesy to players, owners and general managers will say that, per team policy, the organization will not discuss trade or free agent rumors. Many trade rumors come to life during a sports season and frequently, these trades have little truth behind them. To avoid having to address every rumor that gets reported, teams will make it a policy to not discuss these matters. The move is also a favorable to gesture toward players, who usually prefer to not hear their names in trade rumors throughout a season.