NFL Players Association - Pro Football Rumors

Albert Breer On Tom Brady, Deflategate

May 31st, 2015 at 5:58pm CST by Rob DiRe

The DeflateGate rumor mill hasn’t brought much additional information over the last couple of days, but we should know more when Tom Brady will have his day in court, and his appeal hearing has been set for June 23rd.

We shouldn’t expect to hear from Brady until June 23rd, and his silence will be on the advice of his NFLPA lawyer, Jeffrey Kessler, reports Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter).

Kessler has been steadfast in his approach of keeping clients quiet in terms of media comments before hearings, and Breer writes that Brady will be treated the same way despite his high-profile stature in the league (via Twitter).

While Brady won’t be making any statements regarding air pressure or doctoring footballs, he will not be prohibited from talking football between now and June 23rd (via Twitter). He will no doubt be asked about Deflategate if he should appear in front of the media, but expect him to deflect those questions in favor of questions that pertain to on-the-field concerns.

Tom Brady’s Appeal Set For June 23

May 29th, 2015 at 4:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Those hoping for closure on the DeflateGate saga will have to wait at least a few more weeks. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Tom Brady‘s appeal hearing won’t be held until Tuesday, June 23, and may continue on Thursday, June 25, if more than one day is required.

The appeal, which is still expected to be arbitrated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, will give Brady and the NFL Players Association a chance to argue that the quarterback’s four-game suspension should be eliminated, or at least reduced.

Goodell has indicated that he’d be open to hearing “new information” on the case from Brady, hinting that he still wants the Patriots quarterback to hand over the emails and text messages that he didn’t surrender to Ted Wells during the DeflateGate investigation.

If Goodell decides not to reduce Brady’s suspension – and perhaps even if he does – the NFLPA is likely to file a lawsuit to take the case to court. With previous recent suspensions, such as Ray Rice‘s and Adrian Peterson‘s, a judge has overruled the NFL’s ruling.

Pats owner Robert Kraft has stated that he won’t fight the Patriots’ DeflateGate penalties, including a $1MM fine and two lost draft picks, including a first-rounder. There has been plenty of chatter suggesting that Kraft’s decision might help result in a better outcome for Brady, but reports so far have indicated that no handshake deal is in place regarding the quarterback’s appeal.

NFLPA Appeals Tom Brady’s Suspension

May 14th, 2015 at 2:50pm CST by Luke Adams

The NFL Players Association has formally filed its appeal on behalf of Tom Brady, in an effort to reduce or eliminate the quarterback’s four-game suspension, the union announced today. The NFLPA’s statement includes a request for a neutral arbitrator, citing the NFL’s “history of inconsistency and arbitrary decisions in disciplinary matters.”

“If Ted Wells and the NFL believe, as their public comments stated, that the evidence in their report is ‘direct’ and ‘inculpatory,’ then they should be confident enough to present their case before someone who is truly independent,” the statement reads.

There was previously some question over whether Brady would enlist the help of the NFLPA in his battle, but it appears that the two sides have joined forces and they’re apparently willing to make things messy. Brady has had a rocky relationship with the union ever since he was listed as the named plaintiff in the lawsuit against the NFL during the 2011 lockout. The quarterback is pulling out all stops as he has also hired Jeffrey Kessler, the attorney whose legal action helped create free agency in the NFL.

Brady’s agent Don Yee went on the offensive and heavily criticized the findings of Wells’ report earlier this week, but Wells fired back the next day against what he felt was an attack on his impartiality. All things considered, it sounds like things could get ugly between Brady’s side and the league office.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFLPA Re-Elects DeMaurice Smith

March 16th, 2015 at 7:50am CST by Luke Adams

Despite a crowded field that featured eight challengers, reigning executive director DeMaurice Smith was re-elected by the NFL Players Association last night in Hawaii by the league’s team player reps, per Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (via Twitter). The decision ensures that Smith gets another three-year term heading the NFLPA.

Outside of Smith, Jim Acho, Sean Gilbert, Robert Griffith, Rob London, Art McAfee, John Stufflebeam, Andrew Smith and Jason Belser were also vying for the union’s executive director position. Belser, who has worked under Smith as part of the NFLPA in recent years, was viewed as perhaps the strongest challenger.

Nonetheless, one executive committee member, veteran safety Ryan Clark, tells Peter King of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link) that the vote to re-elect Smith was unanimous on the first ballot. Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link) pushes back on that report, suggesting that the first vote wasn’t unanimous, with the player reps re-voting to exhibit solidarity. Albert Breer of the NFL Network tweets that Smith at least got the majority he needed for re-election during the first round of voting, so it wasn’t a contentious process.

The current Collective Bargaining Agreement is widely considered to be more owner-friendly than player-friendly, which made Smith vulnerable to challengers. However, with nine candidates in the running for the position, the field may have been slightly diluted, pushing players to align themselves with the candidate they knew best, rather than rallying around another contender.

Smith’s candidacy may also have received a bit of a boost in the wake of some of the lucrative free agent contracts signed by players within the last several days.

Extra Points: NFLPA, Cutler, Raiders, Rams

March 6th, 2015 at 6:51pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

NFLPA President Eric Winston tweeted Thursday night that the deadline for nominations for Executive Director of the NFLPA had passed. Along with incumbent DeMaurice Smith, Winston listed Jim Acho, Sean Gilbert, Robert Griffith, Rob London, Art McAfee, John Stufflebeam, Andrew Smith and Jason Belser as candidates. The election for the position is scheduled for March 15.

According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report, NFLPA executives are concerned about the internal lack of confidence in DeMaurice Smith. Cole reported that those execs are unsure how Smith will be able to lead going forward if he keeps the job, which he has held since 2009.

Here’s more from around the league:

Albert Breer of NFL.com tweets that, in the aftermath of the Brandon Marshall trade, “chances are” the Bears will keep Jay Cutler for at least another year. According to Breer, Chicago hasn’t brought up the possibility of a Cutler trade with other teams this offseason. Breer notes that the Bears have a “Cutler-friendly staff” with new offensive coordinator Adam Gase and quarterbacks coach Dowell Logains. Breer’s report runs contrary to one released Thursday by NFL.com colleague Ian Rapoport, who said that “teams certainly know that Cutler is available.”
The Raiders’ possible relocation to Carson, Calif., has been a major topic in recent weeks, and team owner Mark Davis said in a radio interview Friday that “other cities are possible relocation places,” Howard Balzer tweeted. Davis went on to state that he “wouldn’t say St. Louis is one of them.” Like the Raiders and Chargers, the Rams have been linked to the Los Angeles area. All three teams can terminate their leases and move after next season. If the Rams relocate, there have been rumblings about another NFL team playing in St. Louis in the future. If you’re to believe Davis, the Raiders won’t be that team.
Speaking of the Rams, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Friday that the team and right tackle Joe Barksdale are “too far apart” on a new deal. Thus, the 26-year-old will hit free agency when the market opens March 10. The four-year veteran has started 29 games over the last two seasons for St. Louis. Out of 84 qualifying tackles, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated Barksdale as the 48th best in the league in 2014.

Extra Points: Yates, Titans, NFLPA, Pats, Rams

March 5th, 2015 at 10:41pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Four teams are expressing interest in free agent quarterback T.J. Yates, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Yates did start five games during his rookie season in Houston, but none since, and he attempted just four passes for the Falcons last year. Even with a weak crop of free agent QBs, Yates is likely only receiving inquiries that involve backup jobs.

Let’s look at some more items from around the league…

Despite many denials on the part of the team, the Titans could still be for sale in 2015, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). La Canfora reported the same in December, but club CEO Tommy Smith has insisted the Titans are not for sale.
Another candidate has emerged in the race for NFLPA executive director, as senior director of the players’ union Jason Belser announced that he’ll be running against incumbent DeMaurice Smith, tweets Jason Cole of Bleacher Report.
The Vikings are close to a new deal with long snapper Cullen Loeffler, per Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Another long snapper, Denver’s Aaron Brewer, received a new contract earlier today.
Appearing on CSN New England, NFL.com’s Albert Breer said he’d be surprised if the Patriots lose both Darrelle Revis and Devin McCourty, adding that Revis is the favorite of the two to return to New England.
After acquiring a pack of picks for giving up the right to draft Robert Griffin III, the Rams should now reverse themselves and surrender whatever is needed to move up and select Marcus Mariota in next month’s draft, argues La Canfora in a separate piece.
Jets receiver Percy Harvin is due a $10.5MM salary next season, and if he’s still on the roster as of March 19, New York’s draft-pick compensation to Seattle increases from a sixth-rounder to a fourth-rounder. Rich Cimini of ESPN.com runs through Gang Green’s options with its mercurial pass-catcher.

Extra Points: Suh, Flowers, Titans, NFLPA

March 5th, 2015 at 11:24am CST by Zachary Links

The money could get silly for guys like Ndamukong Suh and Darrelle Revis since some teams will need to spend to reach the cap minimum and a lack of in-house guys to reward could push free agent prices through the roof, says Albert Breer of NFL.com (Twitter links). Here’s more from around the NFL:

The Dolphins and Colts are expected to make the strongest pushes for Suh, multiple league sources told Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports. Both teams have been heavily linked to the impending free agent defensive tackle in recent days.
Appearing today on the NFL Network, cornerback Brandon Flowers said he’d like to remain with the Chargers, and is in discussions with the club about a new deal, writes Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com. Flowers described his situation as win-win: “If I stay in San Diego, it’s a place I loved stepping in from Day 1. It’s a nice place to live, and with a quarterback like Philip Rivers, you always have a chance. And if I’m not able to go back, I’m going to the free agency market.”
Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean looked at the Titans‘ free agents and ran down which ones the team should look to re-sign. The top priorities, he says, should be linebacker Derrick Morgan, punter Brett Kern, and defensive lineman Karl Klug.
Former NFLPA staff counsel Arthur McAfee is officially on the ballot for the upcoming executive director election, tweets Getlin. Jim Acho, a Michigan attorney running for the job, has also been told he has the three nominations needed to get on the final ballot, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets. Additionally, sports advisor Rob London tells Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link) that he also received the necessary recommendations from player reps to qualify as a candidate. There are now eight candidates in the mix for the position.
In this week’s mailbag, a reader asked Mike Klis of the Denver Post if the Broncos would consider former fan favorite Peyton Hillis at fullback. If he were a bit more spry, Hillis would be close to an ideal fullback in Gary Kubiak‘s system, but even then he’s still too small for the position.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Extra Points: DeVito, L.A., Garcon, NFLPA

February 25th, 2015 at 3:07pm CST by Luke Adams

While hundreds of NFL writers will submit mock drafts within the next two months, few are more plugged in than Peter King of TheMMQB.com, whose first mock draft of the year lends credence to the idea that the Eagles have real interest in Marcus Mariota. King’s mock has the Eagles pulling off a trade with Washington to move up to the No. 5 spot and nab Mariota — Philadelphia gives up its first- and second-round picks this year, along with its first- and fourth-round picks for 2016, in the hypothetical swap.

Here’s more miscellany from around the NFL:

The Chiefs are expected to ask defensive lineman Mike DeVito to take a pay cut, reports Conor Orr of NFL.com. DeVito, who is set to earn a base salary of $3.75MM with a 2015 cap number of $5.4MM, could be cut by Kansas City if he decides he doesn’t want to accept a reduced salary.
As Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times reported late last night (via Twitter), Inglewood’s City Council unanimously approved Stan Kroenke‘s Hollywood Park stadium project. By approving the project, the Inglewood City Council can skip a couple steps, Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk explains. City officials can now avoid putting the stadium proposal up for a public vote, and can avoid “potentially lengthy” environmental reviews. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link) notes that Carson officials are expected to do the same thing with the Raiders/Chargers‘ stadium proposal.
There have been “zero talks” about Pierre Garcon‘s contract between his camp and the Washington front office, according to John Keim of ESPN.com (via Twitter). That doesn’t mean discussions won’t happen at some point, but Keim notes there’s been nothing yet to indicate that any sort of move involving Garcon is coming.
An already crowded field got even more crowded today, as former NFL player Sean Morey emerged as the latest candidate to become executive director of the NFLPA, per Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
The latest MMQB.com piece from ex-Packers executive Andrew Brandt touches on a handful of interesting topics, as Brandt explores the L.A. issue, notes the different between a contract restructure and a pay cut, and points out that salary cap flexibility can often be created fairly easily.

NFLPA Files Grievance Vs. Browns For Gordon Suspension

February 17th, 2015 at 7:30pm CST by Luke Adams

7:30pm: Gordon was notified in writing about his lateness on multiple occasions, a league source tells Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer (on Twitter). The NFLPA grievance claims that he wasn’t notified or fined for it.

9:11am: The NFL Players Association has filed a non-injury grievance vs. the Browns, challenging the one-game suspension the team handed out to Josh Gordon at the end of the 2014 season, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The ban, which happened prior to Week 17, came from the team, and is separate from the year-long suspension the wideout later received from the league.

This grievance had been anticipated, since suspending Gordon for the final game of the 2014 campaign ensured that he only played in five games, one short of the six he would require for an accrued season. While the discipline may have been warranted, it looked like it also could have been a ploy by the Browns to push the 23-year-old’s eligibility for unrestricted free agency back by a year.

Regardless of whether or not Gordon’s suspension from the team is upheld by an arbitrator, the wideout’s unrestricted free agency will still be delayed by at least one year due to his more recent ban from the league, since a player doesn’t receive an accrued season when he spends the year on the reserve/suspended list. A player is eligible to be a UFA after four accrued seasons, but if both of Gordon’s suspensions stand, he’ll only have two accrued seasons by 2016, which is when he originally would’ve been set to hit the open market.

NFL Notes: NFLPA, Cap Casualties, Team Needs

February 15th, 2015 at 5:56pm CST by Rob DiRe

Labor and employment law attorney Andrew Smith has joined the race to become the next Executive Director of the NFLPA, and is officially on the ballot as he has acquired written endorsements from three player reps, reports Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). As far as Getlin knows, Smith is the first of the candidates to get all three endorsements required (via Twitter).

Here are some other links from around the NFL:

Agent Rob London will also be joining the field, making him the fifth person to put his name in the hat to run against current Executive Director DeMaurice Smith, writes Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter).
Josh McCown and LaRon Landry are among players who have already been released this offseason, but Ben Volin of the Boston Globe notes that there are a number of other veterans that could be on the chopping block before the new league year starts. Volin’s list includes Percy Harvin, Brandon Marshall, Troy Polamalu, and Marques Colston, among others.
While Volin is busy talking about players who could be released, Jason La Canfora is figuring out what players team’s need to bring in, as he outlines all 32 franchises’ needs this offseason for CBS Sports. La Canfora picks out the top priority for every team.
Jameis Winston’s trangessions during his time at Florida State could play a big role in his NFL career, as the league’s new player conduct policy would allow for a player’s past incidents to play a role in punishment when dealing with new offenses at the professional level, writes Jane McManus of ESPN.com. Not to assume Winston will be in trouble once he gets drafted, but it could affect his draft status if a team knows he will not get a clean slate after coming into the NFL.

NFL Players Association News & Rumors