The NFL Players Association has opted to appeal a January 14 arbitration ruling after it was revealed that the association’s senior leadership had reached a confidentiality agreement with the NFL to obscure crucial details of that arbitration ruling. ESPN reports that significant findings were hidden, including details on recommendations made by league executives urging team owners to cut guaranteed player salaries.
Arbitrator Christopher Droney determined that there was insufficient evidence showing collusion among the owners during contract negotiations with quarterbacks after the Cleveland Browns granted Deshaun Watson a historic fully guaranteed contract in 2022. However, he acknowledged that the NFLPA demonstrated “a clear preponderance of the evidence” in suggesting that Roger Goodell and Jeff Pash had recommended owners limit guaranteed money in contracts. These revelations were only disclosed recently through the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast.
Under the terms of the confidentiality agreement, the arbitration decision was only to be shared with select league and union attorneys and a limited number of senior executives while the NFLPA contemplated its next legal actions. Lloyd Howell Jr., the current executive director, informed the union’s executive committee that they had lost their grievance but failed to share Droney’s findings or ruling copies with players, allegedly attributing any mismanagement to predecessor DeMaurice Smith.
Many players were reportedly surprised by the arbitration findings, expressing confusion as to why the NFLPA hadn’t communicated these details to them. According to the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, members of the NFLPA executive committee and player representatives are entitled to receive all arbitration ruling copies; however, this was not done during the annual meeting in Hawaii in March. The CBA specifies that appeals to arbitration decisions must be filed within ten days, but the confidentiality agreement contained language ostensibly allowing the NFLPA to extend that deadline and enable the league to reclaim its legal costs.
On Wednesday, the NFLPA did not address inquiries regarding the nearly six-month delay in its appeal or the basis for the appeal. This issue has also raised further scrutiny regarding Howell’s leadership, particularly as he is reportedly under investigation concerning his activities since he took office in June 2023.
