An influential group of NFL executives, endorsed by the commissioner Roger Goodell, allegedly promoted inter-team collusion with the aim of lowering the guaranteed money in contracts for experienced players, according to an independent arbitrator’s report revealed recently. The arbitrator, Christopher Droney, rejected the NFL Players’ Association arbitration claim ‘in total’ earlier this year. However, Droney highlighted that the NFL Management Council – which represents the 32 team owners in negotiations with the players’ union and other parties – persuaded NFL’s 32 clubs to cut down guarantees in players’ forthcoming contracts at the March 2022 annual meet.
Despite the strong encouragement from the Management Council, the report concluded that teams did not participate in collusive actions. The verdict had remained undisclosed until the report was released on June 24. The action in question took place at the pivotal March 2022 meeting, which followed shortly after Cleveland Browns’ high-profile acquisition and signing of quarterback Deshaun Watson, tying him down with a fully guaranteed five-year contract worth $230 million.
The hearings, conducted over ten days in New York last summer, saw testimonies from eight owners, including Goodell, prominent player agents, and players such as Russell Wilson and Lamar Jackson. The initiation of the claim can be traced back to NFLPA’s previous executive director before his 2023 replacement. The union’s complaint involved allegations that a top league executive asked New England Patriots owner, Robert Kraft, to persuade his co-owners to refrain from negotiating high-value, fully guaranteed contracts.
Goodell and Kraft vehemently refuted the allegations raised during the hearings. Droney concurred with the defendants, asserting Goodell made no such request. As per the ruling, the management council’s March 2022 presentation to the league covered the salary cap issue and a projection of a 42% rise in salary guarantees.
Subsequent to this council presentation, players Kyler Murray, Wilson, and Jackson all went on to sign contract extensions in the following year. Jackson, who stands out for being his own representative, had a rather difficult negotiation process with his team, the Ravens, and their general manager Eric DeCosta.
Notably, Jackson received no direct proposition from any team after being tagged with the non-exclusive franchise tag by the Ravens. A possible list of teams Jackson might have been interested in joining could not be supplied, ostensibly due to problems concerning his phone.
In addition to this, the arbitrator’s report also disclosed text message exchanges between two NFL owners—Arizona Cardinals’ Michael Bidwill and Los Angeles Chargers’ Dean Spanos. Droney’s position and function within the arbitration process are outlined by the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) which exists between the league and the union.
The same CBA also sets down strict punishment for any proven collusion among teams. These punishments could be quite stringent, extending to granting the union the right to terminate the CBA in the event of pervasive collusion found between teams. However, the burden of proof in claims of collusion is notably high, requiring more than a simple majority of evidence to build a credible case.