The NFL and senior leaders of the NFLPA “struck an unusual confidentiality agreement that hid the details of an arbitration decision from players,” including a finding that league executives had urged team owners to reduce guaranteed player compensation,” according to sources. Under the terms of the agreement, the 61-page arbitration ruling was to be “shared only with league and union lawyers and a handful of senior union and league executives while the NFLPA considered its next legal move.” A source said that on Tuesday, “nearly six months after” arbitrator Christopher Droney’s decision that there was no clear evidence of collusion, the NFLPA, led by Exec Dir Lloyd Howell, “decided to seek an appeal of the ruling.” Not long after the agreement was struck, Howell “briefed the executive committee of 10 active players and union president Jalen Reeves-Maybin” in a conference call. However, sources said that Howell did “not share any details of Droney’s findings or share copies of the ruling with the players.” Sources said that they were “not aware of the union previously striking a confidentiality agreement with the NFL that kept arbitration rulings from being shared with the union’s executive committee and 32 player representatives” (ESPN.com, 7/9).
Report: NFL, NFLPA hid arbitration decision details
