Sources: NFLPA, NFL agreed to keep collusion findings secret

The NFL and senior leaders of the NFL Players Association struck an unusual confidentiality agreement that hid the details of an arbitration decision from players, including a finding that league executives had urged team owners to reduce guaranteed player compensation, multiple sources told ESPN.

On Jan. 14, arbitrator Christopher Droney ruled there wasn't sufficient evidence of collusion by owners in contract negotiations with quarterbacks after the record, fully guaranteed contract signed by quarterback Deshaun Watson in 2022. Any such collusion to keep salaries down would violate the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the union.

But Droney concluded that the NFLPA showed "by a clear preponderance of the evidence" that commissioner Roger Goodell and the league's general counsel Jeff Pash had urged owners to restrict guaranteed money in player contracts.

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The arbitration case centered on discussions among league executives and owners after the Cleveland Browns signed Watson to a record $230 million, five-year guaranteed contract on March 18, 2022, and whether the talks affected negotiations with QBs Kyler Murray, Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson. None of the three signed guaranteed deals.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/45703132/nflpa-nfl-agreed-keep-collusion-findings-secret