NFL Players Association - Pro Football Rumors

North Rumors: Packers, Pitta, Browns

July 21st, 2015 at 11:43am CST by Luke Adams

Packers president Mark Murphy wasn’t thrilled to see his a handful of his players at the center of off-field incidents this offseason, with Datone Jones having been suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, while Letroy Guion and Andrew Quarless were each arrested and could be suspended as well. However, the team still doesn’t have any plans to release any of those players to send a message, as Murphy tells Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

“While we’re disappointed in all the situations, we have to let the process play out and see exactly what happens in each situation,” Murphy said.

As we wait to see how Quarless’ legal situation plays out, and whether or not Guion receives discipline from the NFL, here are a few more items from around the league’s two North divisions:

Although Dennis Pitta has made “significant progress” in his recovery from a fractured and dislocated right hip, his NFL future is still up in the air. According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, the Ravens tight end will likely begin the 2015 regular season on the physically unable to perform list, which would sideline him for at least the first six weeks. Pitta, who will earn a guaranteed $4MM base salary this year whether or not he plays, has yet to be medically cleared to practice.
In his latest piece for ESPNCleveland.com, Tony Grossi highlights the departure of former Browns director of player engagement Jamil Northcutt, suggesting that the so-called mutual parting reflects a “seeping rift” between head coach Mike Pettine and GM Ray Farmer. Sources have told Grossi that Northcutt was a recipient of Farmer’s illegal in-game texts that earned the GM a four-game suspension, though another source says that’s not accurate.
The Vikings don’t have interest in free agent guard Evan Mathis, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News, who tweets that the team wants to see what it has in its young players. Minnesota could consider revisiting Mathis later if the club’s guard play is an issue.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Janie Mayeron has ordered the NFL and the Players Association into settlement negotiations in their battle over Vikings running back Adrian Peterson‘s suspension, writes Dave Campbell of The Associated Press. The legal fight stems from the NFLPA claiming that the league “deliberately ignored” Judge David Doty’s ruling when Doty sided with the union in rejecting arbitrator Harold Henderson’s decision to uphold Peterson’s suspension.

NFLPA Likely To Drop Collusion Claims Against Cowboys, Broncos

July 15th, 2015 at 5:00pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFLPA is not expected to pursue collusion claims now that Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas got their deals done, a union source told Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (on Twitter). Both players agreed to lucrative deals earlier today that, interestingly, were roughly equal.

Evidence of possible collusion between the Cowboys and Broncos reportedly stemmed from a conversation that took place between Bryant and Cowboys COO Stephen Jones. Jones explained to Bryant that the Calvin Johnson contract, which is the most lucrative deal for a wide receiver in the NFL, had no relevance to other receivers because of the unique circumstances surrounding those negotiations. Then, according to Bryant’s account (per the source), Jones told the receiver that he talked to Broncos GM John Elway about the situation. Because the Broncos also had franchise-tagged receiver in Thomas, the admission that Jones and Elway communicated about the situation constitutes evidence of collusion.

The NFLPA letter containing the collusion claims against the Broncos and Cowboys went out to clubs on Tuesday, but it sounds like all is forgiven now that the two star receivers have gotten hefty paydays.

NFLPA Looking Into Cowboys, Broncos

July 10th, 2015 at 7:15pm CST by Luke Adams

7:15pm: Suspicions in the matter stew from both the Cowboys and the Broncos refusing to use Calvin Johnson‘s contract with the Lions as a comparable during negotiations with Bryant and Thomas, respectively, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. That seems a little odd, as the total value of Johnson’s contract is nearly twice that of Mike Wallace, the second-highest paid receiver, and as Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap tweets, Megatron’s deal has always been viewed as an outlier. Nevertheless, Florio reports that the NFLPA believe it has reliable information that the two clubs involved “have been communicating to set, control, or manipulate the [receiver] market.”

Meanwhile, the Broncos say they have not been contacted by the NFLPA regarding this issue, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post.

5:48pm: Asked about the NFLPA’s investigation, a Cowboys source tells Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Telegram (Twitter link) there’s “nothing to it.” That’s what you’d expect to hear from a team source, though I wouldn’t be surprised if that turns out to indeed be the case.

3:59pm: With five days left for franchised players to negotiate multiyear contract agreements with their current teams, only two of the four unsigned franchise-tag recipients play the same position: Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, the NFL Players Association is reviewing information to determine whether the Broncos and Cowboys have colluded in regard to contract talks for their two star receivers.

Per Schefter, the NFLPA believes the Broncos and Cowboys were in contact about Thomas’ and Bryant’s contract situations, despite the fact that the the league’s collective bargaining agreement prohibits such contact. The NFLPA is investigating the situation to determine whether or not collusion did in fact occur, and when to potentially file a claim.

July 15 is the deadline for franchised players to sign long-term extensions with their teams — if no agreement is reached by that date, a player who received the franchise tag will have to play on a one-year deal in 2015, if he intends to play at all. Given the relatively similar statistical production posted by Bryant and Thomas – as well as Bengals wideout A.J. Green and Falcons receiver Julio Jones, who are playing on fifth-year options this year – there’s been a sense that everyone is waiting for one team to extend its star receiver to establish the market.

Of course, if one team were to lock up its receiver to a lucrative new extension that exceeds his expected worth, it could adversely affect negotiations for other teams locking to lock up their own wideouts, driving up the price. As such, it makes sense that the Cowboys and Broncos might want to discuss the situation with one another, though Schefter’s report doesn’t suggest there’s any hard evidence that happened.

Extra Points: Panthers, Steelers, NFLPA

July 1st, 2015 at 9:29pm CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted notes from around the NFL as we wrap up this Wednesday evening…

Panthers defensive end Frank Alexander missed the majority of last season after being suspended 14 games for twice violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Considering Greg Hardy‘s absence from the team, head coach Ron Rivera said Alexander could have had a big season. “Last year would’ve been a big year for Frank, especially with the situation and circumstances that we had. He could’ve emerged,” Rivera told Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. “So now he’s kind of back at square one as far as that’s concerned. He’s going to have to compete like everybody else.”
The Steelers have the most Super Bowls in NFL history with six, and now they want to bring the game to the city of Pittsburgh. The organization submitted their application to host the Super Bowl in 2023, following the stadium expansion that will bring capacity up to 67,000, according to the Associated Press. “The application is an early step in the bidding process, and we will continue to meet with representatives of the Mayor’s Office, County Executive’s Office, VisitPittsburgh, Allegheny Conference as well as other community leaders to review the requirements with the hopes of submitting our bid to host Super Bowl LVII in 2023,” team president Art Rooney II said in a statement.
ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio reports that former NFL receiver Richard Goodman is suing the NFL Players Association, accusing them of “negligence, gross negligence, and breach of fiduciary duty in connection with the regulation of agent Richard Burnoski.” Goodman says his former agent, Burnoski, essentially stole $25K, and the receiver blames the NFLPA for recommending the agent in the first place.
Former running back Jamal Anderson estimates that 60-percent of NFL players smoke marijuana. Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman believes the NFL and the union have a “wink-wink type deal” that would prevent tougher marijuana testing. The current CBA calls for players to be tested once a year during training camp, as long as they haven’t previously tested positive. “If you tested the players during the season every week,” one assistant coach told Florio, “we wouldn’t be able to field a league. We’d have to merge with the CFL.”
While MLB fans celebrate Bobby Bonilla’s annual payday from the Mets, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reveals a funky contract from the NFL (via Twitter): every January, the Falcons have to pay 1985 number-two pick Bill Fralic $150K.

Rob DiRe contributed to this post.

Tom Brady Updates: Wednesday

June 24th, 2015 at 3:37pm CST by Luke Adams

The appeal hearing for Tom Brady‘s four-game suspension lasted over 10 hours yesterday, but things eventually wrapped up, and another session won’t be necessary. While the hearing came to an end on Tuesday, we probably shouldn’t expect a ruling until July, as arbitrators typically take at least a couple weeks to announce their decisions on appeals.

Still, we have plenty of reactions and updates on Brady’s appeal to pass along, so let’s dive in and round up the latest….

The post-hearing briefs in the Brady appeal are due late next week, sources tell Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link). That will give Goodell even more information to consider, so his ruling won’t come until some time after that.
As expected, the reviews on Brady’s Tuesday performance from NFL sources weren’t quite as glowing as the one’s from Brady’s side, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio cites a league source who says that the Super Bowl MVP simply reiterated that he wasn’t involved and didn’t have knowledge of any tampering with the footballs. When pressed on certain issues, Brady’s answers were “regarded by some in the room as not entirely credible,” says Florio.
Within the same PFT piece, Florio suggests that it’s unlikely Brady will be completely exonerated, and notes that the NFLPA’s defense for Brady hinged in large part on attacking the science in the Wells report.

Earlier updates:

Sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com that Brady came off as “very genuine, earnest, and persuasive” during his testimony on Tuesday. According to Schefter, the Patriots quarterback every issue raised in the Ted Wells report, with one source calling it “an A+ performance.” I have to imagine Schefter’s sources are on the NFLPA’s camp rather than from the NFL side.
Within Schefter’s piece, NFLPA rep Jeffrey Kessler indicated that Brady and the union put forth a “very compelling case,” adding that no timetable for a decision was provided.
The transcript of Tuesday’s hearing won’t be released, though that could change if Brady and the NFLPA file a lawsuit against the NFL challenging the outcome of the appeal, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
Florio has two more pieces up on the DeflateGate saga, pointing out that the NFL only seems to come out to contradict erroneous reports when it benefits the league to do so, and suggesting that the NFL ought to study the inflation level of its footballs during the coming season to accumulate more scientific data on the subject.
Given all the gray area and lack of hard evidence in the case, Jarrett Bell of USA Today believes DeflateGate will end up being no more than a footnote to Brady’s legacy.

Latest On Tom Brady’s Appeal

June 23rd, 2015 at 7:39pm CST by Luke Adams

As I detailed this morning, Tom Brady‘s appeal hearing finally got underway today, with Roger Goodell acting as arbitrator while Brady and the NFLPA make the case for the quarterback’s suspension to be reduced or removed. A handful of updates have trickled out in the hours since then, so let’s check in on the latest….

After ten hours, Brady hearing has drawn to a close, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. No further hearings are scheduled.
Brady’s appeal is ongoing and Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (on Twitter) guesses that both sides want to wrap things up today rather than have it drag into Thursday.
The NFLPA called upon Troy Vincent, Ted Wells, and a scientific expert as witnesses, Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports tweets.
Schefter clarifies his earlier report (outlined below), noting that a June 15 letter from Levy referenced a four-hour time limit for Brady’s defense team. However, in a June 22 letter, Levy added that if “good cause” was shown, he’d grant up to one additional hour for the defense. In a tweet, Schefter provides a copy of that June 15 letter.
According to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (via Twitter), the NFL will get about two hours to give its own testimony, with today’s proceedings expected to end around 5:30pm eastern time.

Earlier updates:

Brady is testifying under oath during today’s session, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). That’s the sort of thing you generally hear in actual court cases, but as former Packers executive Andrew Brandt notes (via Twitter), Goodell – as the arbitrator – sets the rules for the hearing, and Ray Rice‘s appeal also featured sworn testimony.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft was unable to testify on behalf of Brady over the phone, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Instead, per Schefter (Twitter link), Kraft wrote an affidavit to be introduced during the appeal, supporting Brady’s character.
According to Schefter (via Twitter), Brady’s defense team was given four hours today to present its case, and the hearing is expected to wrap up today rather than continuing on Thursday. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello countered Schefter’s report, tweeting that there’s no strict four-hour time limit for Brady’s team, and their presentation is expected to go longer than that.
Alongside Goodell, CBA expert and outside counsel Gregg Levy is heavily involved in overseeing Brady’s hearing, tweets Rapoport.

Tom Brady Appeal Hearing Gets Underway

June 23rd, 2015 at 8:47am CST by Luke Adams

The long-anticipated appeal hearing for Tom Brady‘s suspension gets underway this morning. Brady, commissioner Roger Goodell, and several other key players from the NFL and NFLPA arrived today in advance of the session, which was scheduled to begin at 9:30am eastern time.

Brady and the NFLPA will make the case that the quarterback’s four-game suspension should be reduced or eliminated altogether. However, as a league source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), if Brady says the same thing during his appeal hearing that he did to DeflateGate investigator Ted Wells, his ban won’t change.

Goodell, who appointed himself the arbitrator for the hearing, turned down an NFLPA request to recuse himself, in part because he wants to look Brady in the eye, as he put it. Of course, the former MVP’s comments won’t be the only factor in the union’s case — witnesses central to the AEI report that criticized the Wells report are expected to speak on behalf of the NFLPA.

Still, whereas the AEI report questioned the Wells report’s findings, Brady will have to prove his innocence to get his penalty reduced, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network. As Tom Pelissero of USA Today observes (via Twitter), the key question for Brady will be whether he can explain the 57-minute conversation he had on the phone with Pats employee John Jastremski after the initial story broke following the AFC Championship game.

Although the appeal hearing is beginning today, there’s no guarantee it will last just one day, and even if it wraps up by this evening, a decision won’t come immediately. For comparison’s sake, Greg Hardy‘s appeal hearing for his 10-game suspension took place in late May, and arbitrator Harold Henderson has yet to announce his ruling, several weeks later.

Additionally, if Brady and the NFLPA don’t agree with the outcome of this appeal, it’s very possible – perhaps even likely – that they file a lawsuit and take the case to court, challenging Goodell’s involvement in the process. With about two and a half months until the regular season gets underway, the saga could conceivably stretch through the rest of the offseason.

North Notes: Lions, Flacco, A. Brown

June 8th, 2015 at 2:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Special teams standout Brad Smith, who has played all over the field in his NFL career, will pay a visit to the Lions on Tuesday, reports Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. While Smith has seen time at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver during his NFL career, and was a very productive kick returner a few years ago, his primary contributions at this point in his career will come in kick and punt coverage.

Meanwhile, a Lions free agent, defensive tackle C.J. Mosley, is visiting an unknown team today, per Birkett. There were conflicting reports last week on whether Detroit has interest in re-signing Mosley, and Birkett notes that while the Lions have engaged with the defensive lineman about a possible return, no agreement is imminent.

Here’s more from out of the NFL’s two North divisions:

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco would like to play in the NFL until he’s at least 40 years old, as he tells Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. Of course, we should probably take Flacco’s comments with a grain of salt at this point, considering he just turned 30 earlier this year.
While the Steelers may not adjust Antonio Brown‘s contract this year, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, with the help of former NFL salary cap analyst J.I. Halsell, attempts to identify a potential extension scenario that could work for both sides.
Judge David Doty will hear the NFLPA’s motion to hold Roger Goodell in contempt of court in the Adrian Peterson case on August 13, tweets Ben Goessling of ESPN.com. Doty ruled in favor of the NFLPA back in February, granting the union’s motion to overturn the league’s decision on Peterson’s suspension, but the NFL didn’t reinstate the Vikings running back until mid-April.
Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun passes along word of a couple auditions taking place this week, reporting (via Twitter) that center/guard Ben Gottschalk is trying out for the Packers today and former Hawaii defensive end Beau Yap is working out for the Bengals tomorrow.

Extra Points: L.A., NFLPA, Stacy, QB Market

June 4th, 2015 at 1:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The NFL’s owners typically don’t meet in August, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that the owners have scheduled an extra meeting this year to discuss the prospect of relocation to Los Angeles. Per Rapoport, the additional owners meeting will take place on August 11 in Chicago.

The purpose of the August meeting isn’t to make any major decisions, according to Rapoport, who indicates no major news is expected to come out of the session. But the NFL believes there needs to be some sort of update between May’s and October’s meetings, particularly to focus on the progress of stadium plans in the St. Louis, San Diego, and Oakland markets.

Let’s round up a few more odds and ends from around the league….

The NFL Players Association’s executive committee is pushing for the performance-based pay pool for 2015 and beyond to rise by at least $1MM per team, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports, who notes that the union and the league are still negotiating the parameters of the program for 2015. Per Marvez, the NFLPA’s executive committee also wants only a single “payee” to appear as the representative on a player’s contract, which would protect players from being sued for commission if multiple agents couldn’t agree on a split.
Don Banks of SI.com delves into the back story behind the one-word tweet (“Yikes”) that Zac Stacy published after the Rams drafted Todd Gurley in April. Stacy was traded to the Jets two days later, but the running back and Rams COO Kevin Demoff both insist the since-deleted tweet wasn’t meant to be read negatively, and didn’t immediately lead to Stacy being shipped out of St. Louis.
In the wake of Cam Newton‘s new extension, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com takes a look at what it will mean for Russell Wilson, Philip Rivers, Eli Manning, Joe Flacco, and Andrew Luck. Interestingly, Corry suggests Newton’s contract could have more of an impact on Manning’s and Flacco’s negotiations than Luck’s.
Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports identifies six players drafted in the first round in 2012 who will be under the microscope this season. These players, including linebacker Bruce Irvin and defensive backs Morris Claiborne and Mark Barron, didn’t have their fifth-year options exercised for 2016, so they’re eligible for unrestricted free agency at season’s end.

Goodell Won’t Recuse Himself From Brady Appeal

June 2nd, 2015 at 1:33pm CST by Luke Adams

JUNE 2, 1:33pm: Goodell has now made it official, informing the NFLPA that he’ll hear Brady’s appeal, and won’t recuse himself, per Garafolo (Twitter links). The commissioner insists that his “mind is open” on the case, and he hasn’t pre-judged Brady.

MAY 22, 4:01pm: Despite several other writers confirming La Canfora’s report, NFLPA spokesman Greg Aiello says no final decision has been made on the union’s request for Goodell to recuse himself, tweets Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports. La Canfora tweets that while technically Goodell himself didn’t reject the NFLPA’s request, NFL lawyers filed papers saying their position is that the commissioner will hear Brady’s appeal.

3:15pm: The NFL has denied the NFL Players Association’s request for commissioner Roger Goodell to recuse himself from the union’s appeal of Tom Brady‘s four-game suspension, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).

Following the NFLPA’s announcements that it had officially filed an appeal on behalf of Brady, Goodell appointed himself as the arbitrator in the case. The union felt this was a conflict of interest, particularly since the NFLPA’s counsel intended to call the commissioner as a witness during the appeal process. However, it never appeared likely that Goodell would assent to the union’s request to remove himself from the process, since the league’s CBA allows him to serve as the arbitrator.

As La Canfora observes (via Twitter), Goodell staying on as arbitrator in Brady’s appeal makes it more likely that the case will eventually go to court, unless of course the commissioner overturns the suspension. Goodell strongly hinted at the conclusion of this week’s owner’s meetings in San Francisco that the only thing that would make him reconsider the four-game ban handed down by Troy Vincent would be if Brady brings forth new information on the case — in other words, if he surrenders his emails and text messages.

No date has been set yet for Brady’s appeal hearing.

NFL Players Association News & Rumors