If you are new to managing a fantasy football team you may be wondering what the acronym EXE means. Unfortunately, if you are seeing the EXE acronym beside one of your players this is not good news.
EXE in fantasy football stands for exempt and means that a player is on the commissioner’s exempt list.
When on the exempt list a player will not be able to practice or participate in any games. The players will still get paid and have the ability to work out and attend meetings at team facilities.
The commissioner’s exempt list is used when players are facing unusual circumstances. In most cases, these unusual circumstances do not fit under any specific rules in the NFL so the commissioner uses this list to remedy the situation.
Only Roger Goodell the commissioner of the NFL has the ability to place players on this list. GM and coaches of teams are not able to put players on this list themselves.
When placed on EXE it is up to the commissioner to decide when you will be removed. There is no set time on this list meaning that the commissioner can use it to permanently ban a player from playing in the NFL.
Another fantasy football acronym fantasy managers don’t know about is DST which stands for defense and special teams.
Main Reasons A Player Ends Up On The Exempt List
Now that you understand what EXE means in fantasy football you may be wondering why your player ended up on this list. Below we will break down the top reasons players end up with an EXE beside their name.
Legal Troubles
Far and away the most common reason for a player to end up on the commissioner’s exempt list is due to legal troubles.
In the United States, there are some occasions in which a player commits a crime yet is not charged or prosecuted for it. When the public gets knowledge that this crime has been committed yet the player is still playing in the NFL the public can become upset.
This is especially true when a video is released or witnesses come out publically. Oftentimes this forces the commissioner’s hand as it is bad for the NFL’s image if these players continue to play in the league.
In order, to give them some level of punishment the commissioner will place them on his exempt list for a period of time.
Substance Issues
Another reason that a player may be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list is due to substance abuse issues. Oftentimes when a player is failing drug tests due to performance-enhancing drugs or banned substances the NFL will keep it under wraps.
More recently the NFL has begun to reduce the public reporting of failed drugs test of active NFL players. Though if you fail your drug tests over and over the commissioner will eventually place you on the exempt list.
Josh Gordon is a famous example of an NFL player that continually used banned substances and failed drug tests until he found himself on the commissioner’s exempt list multiple times.
Pursuing Other Opportunities
Though this is much less common than the other alternatives on some occasions players on this list when they want to pursue other opportunities.
Jeff Demps was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list in 2013 when he wanted to pursue his dreams of track and field.
When placed on this list the player will no longer take up a roster spot. This way Demps could leave the team and pursue his dreams of running track and field without hampering his former team.
They would be able to pick up a player in his absence and once removed from the list Demps could return back to his team.
Check out our guide to understanding Opp Rank, BN, and PF mean in fantasy football.
