The NFL Players Association continues to fight the NFL over the league’s new personal conduct policy for players. The NFLPA filed an expedited grievance to keep it from taking effect, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The union is hoping for a cease and desist order, which would put the policy out of commission for the time being.
NFLPA files grievance against NFL over personal conduct policy
The players association is not pleased with the policy in place, and will take aim at it this offseason.
Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
The NFLPA is filing the grievance based on the belief that the new policy must fall in line with the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, which would not allow such standards to be put into place without input and consent from the players.
The discontent has been obvious since October, when union chief DeMaurice Smith sent out a letter to all NFL players. It was in reference to his meeting with the NFL, which was in hopes of creating a league focused more on due process.
Men: Today, the NFLPA met with the NFL to discuss the current issues of domestic violence and improvements to the personal conduct policy. Joining me in attendance from your union were President Eric Winston, Executive Committee Members Zak DeOssie and Jay Feely, general counsel Tom DePaso, associate general counsel Heather McPhee, senior director of player affairs and development Jason Belser and deputy managing director Teri Patterson. During the four-hour bargaining session, your union conveyed to the league that due process for players is not a luxury, it's a right. While the league currently has great concern for its brand, fairness and justice for our members is more important.
For us, the starting point for these discussions must be the desire to agree upon a fair personal conduct policy and domestic violence rules from a standpoint of prevention and education. We will not accept a world where all players are viewed as perpetrators first and husbands, fathers, sons and brothers second. Through collective bargaining, we have achieved the best outcomes, and we need only to look at the most recent drug policy to understand why. There, we achieved independent arbitration, and both sides were able to implement desired changes to the policies. The NFL has agreed to meet again with us soon on all these issues. We will continue to keep you informed.
Sincerely, DeMaurice Smith Executive Director, NFLPA
The two sides originally met for four hours, but nothing substantial came from the dialogue.
A few weeks later, the NFLPA raised more concerns regarding the league’s domestic abuse training protocol. The union feels that the training does not adequately cover domestic violence, sexual assault or child abuse. Per a memo sent out from the NFLPA in October, obtained by SB Nation, the NFL made the training without consulting the union. The NFLPA is also concerned the league will not bring in qualified trainers to run the program.
The Union pointed out that their previous efforts of using non-qualified trainers to teach workplace standards resulted in "spotty and uneven" programs from club to club as some of those training efforts were good and others were poor.
In December, things began to get really heated between the two sides. After the owners approved the new personal conduct policy, the union hammered the league in a statement, claiming it had no input into any of the terms.
"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 turned around and said the union knew what was in the policy, with the league having sent it to them before approval. Troy Vincent, a former defensive back and current NFL executive vice president of football operations, tore into the union.
Troy Vincent blasts the union, calling their participation in the meetings "a farce." Says they tried to turn it into a negotiation.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 10, 2014 With history as a guide, this process is likely to get much uglier before a resolution is found.
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