Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The NFL Players Association is appealing an arbitrators’ ruling that found insufficient evidence of collusion among team owners over salary negotiations, ESPN reported on Wednesday. ESPN cited an unnamed “senior union source” as saying the appeal “is a reflection of our obligation to enforce the collective bargaining agreement and our commitment to protecting our players’ interests.”
In the ruling rendered on January 14, 2025, arbitrator Christopher Droney wrote that there was “little question” that the NFL management council, with the blessing of commissioner Roger Goodell, had encouraged the 32 clubs to reduce guarantees in veterans’ contracts at the March 2022 annual owners’ meeting. Droney concluded, however, that there was no clear evidence that teams actually colluded to reduce guaranteed player compensation.
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Droney’s decision didn’t become public until June 24, when podcaster Pablo Torre and Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com unveiled the 61-page ruling. Torre and Florio said the NFL and the NFLPA had kept the outcome private, and ESPN reported Wednesday that “senior leaders” of the union had struck “an unusual confidentiality agreement” with the league that kept the details of the arbitration decision now being appealed from most of its members.
The original case sent to arbitration concerned talks among league executives and owners after the Cleveland Browns signed quarterback Deshaun Watson to a five-year, $230 million contract, all of it guaranteed, in March 2022. Quarterbacks Russell Wilson, Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray signed huge contract extensions after Watson, but none was fully guaranteed.
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