Appeals Panel Upholds NFL Collusion Grievance Dismissal

A three-person appeals panel ruled Friday against the NFL Players Association, upholding an arbitrator's January 2025 decision that dismissed a 2022 grievance alleging league-wide collusion to limit fully guaranteed contracts for veteran players, particularly quarterbacks Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson.

The grievance stemmed from the Cleveland Browns' signing of Deshaun Watson to a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract in March 2022, following his trade from the Houston Texans amid allegations of sexual improprieties involving more than 20 massage therapists. The NFLPA contended that NFL officials, including Commissioner Roger Goodell, encouraged team owners at the league's March 2022 annual meeting to resist similar guarantees, suppressing market rates for players. Arbitrator Christopher F. Droney found insufficient evidence of coordinated action among the 32 teams, dismissing the case without awarding damages.

In its 15-page decision, the appeals panel of Richard J. Howell, Martin F. Scheinman and James R. Spencer affirmed Droney's conclusion. However, the panel explicitly acknowledged that the NFL's actions were improper. "The NFL's efforts to...