NFL, NFLPA tried to bury another grievance ruling concerning players faking injuries
- - - NFL, NFLPA tried to bury another grievance ruling concerning players faking injuries
Chris CwikJuly 18, 2025 at 12:30 AM
The NFL and NFLPA are once again under fire for trying to bury yet another grievance ruling. The league and players' association reportedly tried to hide the results of a ruling focused on comments made by former union president J.C. Tretter, in which he suggested players fake injuries as a way to hold out for a better contract, according to Pablo Torre and Mike Florio.
It marks at least the second ruling the NFL and NFLPA tried to prevent from being reported. Florio and Torre revealed details of the first grievance in June, which found the league and commissioner Roger Goodell encouraged teams to reduce guaranteed contracts to veteran players. The league and players' union was also accused of trying to hide certain details of that ruling from players.
Thursday's report from Florio and Torre isn't as scandalous, though raises more questions concerning the goals and motives of both the NFL and the NFLPA.
In 2023, the NFL filed a grievance against Tretter, then the NFLPA president, over comments he made during an appearance on "The Ross Tucker Football Podcast." Tretter was asked about running back holdouts and the resistance from some teams about handing out significant deals to running backs.
Tretter responded by implying it was a smart strategy for a player to fake an injury to sit out of practices while seeking a new contract. He seemed to recognize his error during the show, saying, "I don’t think I’m allowed to ever recommend that, at least publicly, but I think each player needs to find a way to build up leverage to try to get a fair deal."
The NFL believed Tretter's comments violated the collective-bargaining agreement, and filed a grievance against Tretter two months after that interview.
Arbitrator Sidney Moreland ruled in favor of the NFL, saying Tretter's comments violated a section in the CBA, per Florio.
Said the NFL, in a Tuesday statement to PFT: “The Arbitrator upheld the Management Council’s grievance in its entirety and found that Mr. Tretter’s statements violated the CBA by improperly encouraging players to fake injury. As a result, he prohibited Mr. Tretter and the union from such conduct in the future. The NFL did not allege that any individual player ever feigned injury. We are grateful for the arbitrator’s thorough review of the evidence and order enforcing the CBA.”
Moreland specifically called out Article 2, Section 2 of the CBA and Article 3 in the CBA in his ruling. Article 2, Section 2 of the CBA contains a passage stating both sides will "faithfully" adhere to the rules laid out in the CBA. Article 3 deals with strikes and work stoppages.
Moreland essentially ruled that Tretter's comments encouraged players to skirt CBA rules by engaging in mini work stoppages.
It's unclear why both the NFL and NFLPA felt it was necessary to try and bury the ruling, however. The decision makes more sense on the NFLPA side, as they ultimately lost. The NFL's decision to hide the ruling makes less sense, as they won the grievance.
The decision adds another layer of confusion to the relationship between the NFL and NFLPA. That relationship has faced scrutiny recently, as an ESPN report revealed NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell worked as a consultant with an NFL-ownership group during his time with the NFLPA, a possible conflict of interest.
Thursday's reveal adds yet another layer of murkiness to the already confusing relationship between the NFL and NFLPA.
Source: “AOL Sports”
