NFL players are not going to be happy with new revelations about the league's owner.
According to a 61-page document obtained by Pablo Torre for his podcast, , the NFL management council encouraged teams to reduce the amount of guaranteed money in contracts during a 2022 owners meeting. Commissioner Roger Goodell gave his blessing to the scheme.
The document is part of a 2022 lawsuit by the NFL Players Association alleging collusion by the NFL and its owners. The arbitrator in the case said there was "little question" the league encouraged teams to reduce guarantees, but there was not enough evidence to verify collusion took place.
The ruling by the arbitrator reads:
Torre and Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio discussed the revelations on the latest episode of the podcast. The NFLPA sued in 2022, alleging that owners and the league violated the collective bargaining agreement by colluding and agreeing not to offer players fully guaranteed contracts. That came in the wake of the Cleveland Browns' stunning, fully guaranteed $230 million contract they awarded Deshaun Watson. The lawsuit sought damages for quarterbacks Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray, and Lamar Jackson in the form of having their contracts voided.
Arbitrator Christopher Droney issued his ruling on Jan. 14, 2025, but it had not been released until Torre got his hands on it.
The final section of the ruling gives Droney's reason for dismissal:
The ruling makes it sound like the league encouraged its teams to collude but there is no evidence a formal collusion agreement was reached.
