The NFLPA has filed a grievance on behalf of former San Francisco 49ers defensive back Eric Reid. Here’s what fans should know to understand the situation.
Just days after Eric Reid filed his own grievance alleging NFL teams conspired to deny him employment in the league, the NFLPA has thrown its weight behind him. In order to understand what this means, there are five things fans should know.
1. The NFLPA’s grievance does not eliminate or replace Reid’s own grievance.
Reid’s grievance stating he believes he was colluded against by multiple NFL teams is still an outstanding matter despite the fact that the NFLPA has taken action. The league will have to address both matters separately although they are pertaining to a similar matter. That’s largely because they approach the situation from very different angles.
2. The NFLPA’s allegations are very different from Reid’s.
The NFLPA’s allegations focus on Reid’s meeting with the Cincinnati Bengals earlier this off-season, during which Reid states he was asked whether he would stand for the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” during the upcoming season if the Bengals signed him. Reid says he did not give the Bengals any such assurances.
The NFLPA’s grievance states Reid was wronged because there is no league rule requiring players to stand for the playing of that song. Additionally, the NFLPA says simply inquiring about Reid’s plans for those moments is a violation of league rules.
Reid’s grievance, on the other hand, alleges that at least two teams conspired together to deny him the opportunity to be employed in the NFL. While the reason for that collusion may have a lot to do with the matter the Bengals allegedly asked him about, the difference is in the number of teams involved and what actions were taken as a result of such inquiries, not the inquiries themselves.
3. The NFLPA stands a better chance of winning on Reid’s behalf than Reid does on his own.
It still may be a tall order for the NFLPA to prove the Bengals violated league rules in their discussions with Reid, but their odds are better than Reid’s because of the allegations. Reid needs to prove that at least two teams communicated with each other about not signing him in order to have his claim substantiated.
In order for the NFLPA to substantiate its claim, the burden of proof is just that the Bengals inquired about a matter they aren’t permitted to under league rules or chose to pass on Reid for the sole reason that he would not assure them of compliance to a condition placed on his employment that is not supported by the league’s regulations.
4. If the NFLPA wins, that would not force the Bengals to offer Reid a contract.
While the Bengals could face some discipline from the league if the NFLPA is victorious in the arbitration hearing that will take place on this matter, it will not include a contract with the team for Reid unless the Bengals should change their minds and offer him one voluntarily.
Conversely, the Bengals doing so would not nullify the NFLPA’s grievance at this point. The only thing that would stop the arbitration hearing from happening at this point would be if the NFLPA withdraws its grievance prior.
5. If the NFLPA loses, it could result in a lawsuit similar to that which the NFLPA filed on behalf of Ezekiel Elliott.
If the arbitration panel concludes that the Bengals did not violate league rules, the NFLPA could file a civil lawsuit against the Bengals and/or the NFL in a federal or state court. Their allegations would likely be very similar to that which the NFLPA made when it filed a lawsuit against the NFL after Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was suspended for six games of the 2017 season.
The NFLPA would argue that the NFL violated the terms of the collective bargaining agreement between itself and the NFLPA by “shielding” a member franchise from discipline when in its opinion the franchise violated league rules set forth in the CBA.
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How this new drama will play out remains to be seen, but what’s certain is that the NFLPA stepping in to this situation just made it a lot more serious.