NFL Arbitrator finds Goodell encouraged collusion between teams to reduce Veteran Guarantees

[Big Turk]

Wow....that could be a bombshell and open the NFL up to serious litigation and monetary damages...

 

However an even stranger narrative is that both the NFL and NFLPA fought to keep the information secret.

 

Why would the NFLPA not want this to get out?

 

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/nfl/breaking-news/article/nfl-collusion-ruling-arbitrator-reportedly-finds-nfl-roger-goodell-encouraged-teams-to-reduce-guarantees-for-veterans-144903905.html

 

the arbitrator, Christopher Droney, wrote the following:

 

"There is little question that the NFL Management Council, with the blessing of the Commissioner, encouraged the 32 NFL Clubs to reduce guarantees in veterans’ contracts at the March 2022 annual owners’ meeting."

 

That suggests both the NFL and Goodell wanted teams to collude to reduce guaranteed money when handing out contracts to veteran players.

Edited 6 hours ago by Big Turk

[Low Positive]

Those owners meetings took place from 3/27-3/30, 2022. DeShawn Watson signed that contract on 3/18, 2022. The owners were in shock.

[Big Turk]

1 minute ago, Low Positive said:

Those owners meetings took place from 3/27-3/30, 2022. DeShawn Watson signed that contract on 3/18, 2022. The owners were in shock.

 

Probably, but that doesn't mean it's not illegal.

[Low Positive]

4 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

Probably, but that doesn't mean it's not illegal.

Absolutely! But I thought it was interesting how close to the Watson signing those meetings were and how much that impacted the Lamar Jackson negotiations. 

[RobbRiddick]

Who would have thought the big ginger smug multi millionaire was untrustworthy.
 

He always seems so sincere when he hugs the players on draft day 

[Don Otreply]

Corporations gonna do corporate things, corporations view employees as nothing more than a necessary evil,  it has pretty much been this way since the back room deal that gave businesses corporate status all those years ago. 

Edited 6 hours ago by Don Otreply

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

[Mr. WEO]

owners gonna own....

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

31 minutes ago, Low Positive said:

Those owners meetings took place from 3/27-3/30, 2022. DeShawn Watson signed that contract on 3/18, 2022. The owners were in shock.

Only because some bean counter figured out just how many massages that costed out to...🤔

[SoonerBillsFan]

1 hour ago, Big Turk said:

 

Probably, but that doesn't mean it's not illegal.

It should be. Collusion to keep players from having more guaranteed money is illegal I believe.

I can see many veterans who signed contracts after that time, filing a class action suit.

[SoCal Deek]

These issues are really complicated when it comes to an unusual business like the NFL. While yes, the teams are in quasi-competition with each other, they are NOT in open business competition. The teams depend on each other and the league as a whole benefits from an even ‘playing field’ thus shared television revenue, a weighted draft, and of course a salary cap. While I’m confident the Players Union would lobby for guaranteed contracts (that’s what a Union is supposed to do), I can also see how the Owners would get together to try and reduce such a trend. 
 

With all of that said there’s no bigger critique of the current commissioner than me, so I post this with a torn conscience. 

[Mr. WEO]

21 minutes ago, SoonerBillsFan said:

It should be. Collusion to keep players from having more guaranteed money is illegal I believe.

I can see many veterans who signed contracts after that time, filing a class action suit.

 

hard salary cap is a strict limit on salaries by design. owners would hardly need to be convinced not to offer completely guaranteed contracts of that scale (there has only been ...ever).  Josh Allen's guaranteed money dwarfs Watsons.  

 

12 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

These issues are really complicated when it comes to an unusual business like the NFL. While yes, the teams are in quasi-competition with each other, they are NOT in open business competition. The teams depend on each other and the league as a whole benefits from an even ‘playing field’ thus shared television revenue, a weighted draft, and of course a salary cap. While I’m confident the Players Union would lobby for guaranteed contracts (that’s what a Union is supposed to do), I can also see how the Owners would get together to try and reduce such a trend. 
 

With all of that said there’s no bigger critique of the current commissioner than me, so I post this with a torn conscience. 

 

 

he didn't come up up with the idea to collude......he's just serving his masters.

[Augie]

1 hour ago, Low Positive said:

Those owners meetings took place from 3/27-3/30, 2022. DeShawn Watson signed that contract on 3/18, 2022. The owners were in shock.

 

They didn’t need collusion to know that nobody wants to be as stupid as Haslem and the Browns. The only thing they needed to say out loud was “DON”T BE AN IDIOT!” That’s vague, and simple, enough. 

[SoCal Deek]

4 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

hard salary cap is a strict limit on salaries by design. owners would hardly need to be convinced not to offer completely guaranteed contracts of that scale (there has only been ...ever).  Josh Allen's guaranteed money dwarfs Watsons.  

 

 

 

he didn't come up up with the idea to collude......he's just serving his masters.

My point is that the entire league doesn’t act like individual corporations but instead like branch offices of a single, larger company. We had this same challenge in my company and we constantly had to remind the various branch managers not to get too out of line when it came to salaries, etc as it ultimately became problematic for the other branches. 

Edited 5 hours ago by SoCal Deek

[Goin Breakdown]

Somehow we the fans will end up paying for this in the end. 

1 hour ago, RobbRiddick said:

Who would have thought the big ginger smug multi millionaire was untrustworthy.
 

He always seems so sincere when he hugs the players on draft day 

No one rocks back and forth while hugging and carries ill will. 

[Einstein]

The more interesting story, in my opinion, was the Lamar Jackson stuff revealed in the story.

Lamar wanted a fully guaranteed long contract. The Ravens would do 2 or 3 years at most. Lamar balked. He hit restricted FA and no-one wanted him. 

Ravens made one last offer to him before the draft and he immediately accepted it. 

I remember some folks on this forum talking about how Lamar "won" at the time. Turns out that Lamar practically jumped at the opportunity to take whatever the Ravens would give him after no-one else offered him a cent.

[Einstein]

2 hours ago, Low Positive said:

Absolutely! But I thought it was interesting how close to the Watson signing those meetings were

The Watson signing was the focal point I think. Bidwell, the Cardinals owner, was quoted in the ruling as saying "Cleveland really screwed things up".

More context to that quote...

Spanos, the Chargers owner, told Bidwell "Your deal (with Murray) helps us for our QB next year.” 

To which Bidwell responded “I think many teams will be happy with it once they have a chance to review." (along with the Cleveland comment)

[DrDawkinstein]

2 hours ago, RobbRiddick said:

Who would have thought the big ginger smug multi millionaire was untrustworthy.
 

He always seems so sincere when he hugs the players on draft day 

 

Players (and fans) should know by now that Roger is the "HR" of the NFL. He isnt there to protect the workers, he's there to protect the company (the Shield) from the workers.

[Mr. WEO]

1 hour ago, SoCal Deek said:

My point is that the entire league doesn’t act like individual corporations but instead like branch offices of a single, larger company. We had this same challenge in my company and we constantly had to remind the various branch managers not to get too out of line when it came to salaries, etc as it ultimately became problematic for the other branches. 

 

this corporation doesn't have a real CEO or board of directors.  it's 32 equals who channel their decisions through a well payed lackey. 

[SoCal Deek]

Just now, Mr. WEO said:

 

this corporation doesn't have a real CEO or board of directors.  it's 32 equals who channel their decisions through a well payed lackey. 

In the good ‘ol days the league had this same collusion meeting every year. It’s just that back then it was more accurately labeled as the “Can somebody please tell Al Davis to knock it off?” Meeting. 😉