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Brooke Pryor
The NFL won its grievance against the NFL Players Association, effectively banning the union from conducting and publishing future player report cards, according to a memo distributed to all 32 NFL teams and obtained by ESPN on Friday morning.
An arbitrator found that the report cards violated the collective bargaining agreement by «disparaging NFL clubs and individuals.»
According to the memo, the arbitrator found through hearings with the NFLPA’s witness and counsel that the report cards were «designed by the union to advance its interests under the guise of a scientific exercise.» The NFLPA refused to produce data related to previous surveys, and the union’s witness and counsel admitted the union «cherry-picked» topics and responses to include in the report cards.
Arizona Cardinals offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum said in November. «It’s objective, especially for the people that are actually in the buildings every single day. No disrespect to the National Football League, but a lot of those folks sit in offices at 345 Park [league headquarters in New York City], and you have folks that are doing these reports that are living, breathing, eating, sleeping, working, the whole nine, that are in these buildings every single day.»
«It’s a great way to be transparent and a great way to keep everybody accountable.» Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward, one of the NFLPA’s 10 vice presidents, added: «I think to stop it, it just kind of feels like you’re hiding something.»
