Inside the NFL’s Secret Battle: What They’re Hiding About the Collusion Grievance May Shock You

The NFL sure knows how to keep eyes glued elsewhere, doesn’t it? Even in the quieter stretches between seasons, when you’d think the game’s drama might take a backseat, there’s always a shiny distraction on offer, expertly diverting attention from the shadows where the real stories lurk. One such tale involves a hefty 61-page arbitration ruling on a collusion grievance—an enigma both the league and the NFL Players Association are quietly hiding away. It’s about the league’s apparent reluctance to hand out fully-guaranteed contracts to top-tier veterans like Lamar Jackson, Russell Wilson, and Kyler Murray. The arbitrator saw signs that NFL nudged teams into holding back on these contracts, but—surprise, surprise—the proof wasn’t solid enough to dole out damages. So, a curious stalemate: collusion found, yet no financial fallout. Neither camp seems keen to shout about it. In fact, the whole thing has been tucked so far under the rug it’s easy to forget it’s even there, sitting behind the scenes while pro football rolls on with all its fanfare and billions in public support. This document, cloaked in secrecy, demands sunlight—it isn’t just some private parchment; it’s a glimpse into the inner workings of a titan with more than a few questions to answer. And yet, here we are, still waiting for either side to lift the veil. LEARN MORE

From the Super Bowl to the Scouting Combine to free agency to the draft to OTAs, it’s been easy to forget about the 61-page collusion grievance ruling. A ruling that apparently contains something they don’t want us to see.So it was a mixed result. The NFLPA won, to the extent that evidence of collusion was found. The NFL won, to the extent that no money was awarded to any of the players.Even in the offseason, there’s always something to distract fans and media from taking a closer look at something the powers-that-be are trying to hide. As it relates to a significant collusion grievance that resulted in a 61-page written ruling from an arbitrator, both the NFL and the NFL Players Association continue to conceal the document.The NFL should be expected to release this document. The union should be, too. But with no one pressuring them to do it, they can jointly continue to hide behind the various bright, shiny objects that will continue to keep us properly distracted.So what can it be? It could be (and we’re not saying it is) that the evidence in the case includes some frank and candid internal communications that one side doesn’t want to see the light of day — and that the other side has gone along with that. It also could be that the two sides were at one point actively negotiating redactions to the 61-page order to ensure that such frank and candid internal communications would not be communicated externally.

If this dispute had played out in court, the ruling would be a matter of public record. The NFL and NFLPA have created a private system for resolving disputes. And while the arbitrators who handle such matters typically insist on confidentiality while the cases are pending, there’s nothing that prevents either the league or the union from publishing the ruling. But neither side felt sufficiently good about the outcome to disclose it. The NFL danced around it in January. The NFLPA has said nothing about it, either.Whatever the explanation, there’s an important document that the NFL and the NFLPA are hiding from everyone. Despite the private nature of the arbitration agreement, pro football is an inherently public entity. It has millions of customers. It finagles billions in taxpayer money. It has a federal antitrust exemption that results in significantly more valuable TV rights.The grievance focused on the refusal to give fully-guaranteed contracts to specific veteran quarterbacks — with primary focus on Lamar Jackson, Russell Wilson, and Kyler Murray. The arbitrator found, we’re told, that the NFL encouraged teams not to give those players fully-guaranteed contracts. However, the evidence presented regarding the impact of this approach on the three quarterbacks at the heart of the case wasn’t strong enough to trigger damages.The NFL benefits from an endless stream of bright, shiny objects.