NFLPA burns NFL over new personal conduct policy

Less than an hour after the owners approved a new personal conduct policy, the NFLPA responded with its own statement, criticizing the league for the lack of a fair collective bargaining process as the NFL was preparing the revised policy. The players union said that it did not have input into the new policy and has publicly stated that it disagrees with several of the league’s proposed changes.

“Our union has not been offered the professional courtesy of seeing the NFL’s new personal conduct policy before it hit the presses,” the NFLPA said in a statement. “Their unilateral decision and conduct today is the only thing that has been consistent over the past few months.”

The NFL’s general counsel, Jeff Pash, immediately denied the union’s claim that it didn’t see the policy before it was approved Wednesday, according to a report from NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport. “We sent them the policy. Numerous meetings with them. The union knows every element we’re talking about.”

Troy Vincent, the NFL executive vice president of football operations and a former player, also ripped the union’s behavior during this process:

The NFLPA has long been opposed to any unilateral changes to the policy throughout this entire process, so it is not surprising that the union responded with such a strong statement once the new policy was approved. The continued back-and-forth on this topic between the player reps and the league will be something to watch as the season winds down and the offseason begins.