Mike Florio: Players have a case against both NFL and NFLPA amid collusion reports

A bombshell report revealing possible collusion between the NFL and NFLPA was made public on Tuesday thanks to an investigation spearheaded by Meadowlark Media’s Pablo Torre and Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.

Now, Florio is suggesting that NFL players have recourse against both the league and the union.

Tuesday’s report revealed that the NFL Management Council likely encouraged the league’s 32 teams to reduce guaranteed contracts for veteran players shortly after the Cleveland Browns signed quarterback Deshaun Watson to a massive, fully-guaranteed $230 million deal. The grievance between the NFLPA and the league, which was settled in arbitration, ultimately was decided in the NFL’s favor. System Arbitrator Christopher Droney wrote in his ruling that the union failed to prove by a “clear preponderance” that the NFL colluded with its teams to reduce guaranteed contracts.

One would think that such a ruling is something the NFLPA would like to make public. After all, its the players who are conceivably being hurt by this kind of coordination.

However, the union was also motivated to keep the decision under wraps because of repeated insulting comments NFLPA President JC Tretter made about then-Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson.

All of this is revealed in the latest episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out and on Florio’s website.

But one day after the reports went public, Florio is now hearing that multiple players are exploring potential legal action against both the NFL and NFLPA. Per Florio, “Multiple individuals who routinely interact with players tell PFT that multiple players have begun to inquire regarding their rights, and regarding their options both as to the league and as to the union.”

The case against the league, of course, involves whether or not they actually, by the letter of the law, colluded with its franchises to reduce guarantees in player contracts. The case against the union would fall under the “federal duty of fair representation,” according to Florio, a former lawyer. In short, Florio suggests that since the case only pertained specifically to three players (Wilson, Lamar Jackson, and Kyler Murray), 594 other players included on a still-hidden list attached to the ruling can claim the union improperly represented them by lumping them in with the case rather than investigating their grievances individually.

In other words, both the NFL and NFLPA seem to be at risk of litigation.

One source told Florio that Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert would be the “perfect plaintiff” for a case against either entity. The 61-page report obtained by Torre reveals Chargers owner Dean Spanos and Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill communicating about the contracts given to their respective quarterbacks.

History would prove time and time again that the coverup is often worse than the crime. In this case, both seem to be pretty bad. And it looks like this saga can drag on well into the next NFL season, and possibly beyond.