NFLPA to pursue collusion charges if Bryant, Thomas don't sign long-term deals

[Jenky]

NFLPA to pursue collusion charges if Bryant, Thomas don't sign long-term deals

Dan Graziano, ESPN Staff Writer


If Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas don't sign long-term contracts with their respective teams by Wednesday's deadline for franchise players to do so, the NFL players' union plans to move ahead with collusion charges against those teams, a source close to the situation told ESPN.

The NFLPA informed the Dallas Cowboys and the Denver Broncos on Monday that they need to preserve any e-mails, phone records, texts and records of other communication between the two teams, according to the source.

The union says it has credible information that the Cowboys and Broncos have had conversations about the negotiations of long-term deals for franchise wide receivers Bryant and Thomas, and the CBA grants the union the right to discovery in the case of a credible collusion claim.

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nfl/story...us-thomas-denver-broncos-sign-long-term-deals

 

[DallasEast]

I didn't know John Mara was connected with the NFLPA.

 

[burmafrd]

'credible' information. sure. just another grandstand PR play by the NFLPA which has looked so bad the last year or so. Desperate to impress people and try and convince some they are worth something.

 

[Beats_By_Zeke]

I basically read this like... " Dear Dallas Cowboys, you better sign Dez Bryant to a contract, or we the NFLPA are going to punish you otherwise." Am i wrong for reading it like this?

 

[erod]

What if the NFLPA paid Thomas and Dez to sit out games?

 

[blindzebra]

This is ridiculous.

Both teams have a vested interest in the other teams negotiation because it sets the market, you don't think Atlanta has called Dallas and Denver?

Both guys are linked to the same agent since Condon is taking over Thomas's agency, you don't think that the agents are sharing info and playing the teams against each other? For it to be collusion they would have to prove that Elway and Stephen refused to negotiate based upon set terms and neither would cave in. Well we have seen several reports of offers and most have been above the 12.8 tag.

The ironic thing is that Dallas refused to join Mara and the boys during the uncapped year and where was the NFLPA when Dallas and Washington lost cap for not colluding?

 

[Doomsday101]

sounds like collusion is taking place alright, players union and the agents conspiring to get a long term deal

 

[CowboyGil]

Sounds like blackmail to me. PAY US OR ELSE!!!

 

[Stash]

I basically read this like... " Dear Dallas Cowboys, you better sign Dez Bryant to a contract, or we the NFLPA are going to punish you otherwise." Am i wrong for reading it like this?

That's sure what it reads like to me. It sounds like the players involved - and by extension the NFLPA - have an issue with the franchise tags being applied and a refusal by owners to overpay a position based on one bloated contract.

The teams are perfectly within their rights - as negotiated by both parties - to apply the franchise tag and agree to pay the player the required amounts. They're not required to do a single thing otherwise.

 

[coult44]

I basically read this like... " Dear Dallas Cowboys, you better sign Dez Bryant to a contract, or we the NFLPA are going to punish you otherwise." Am i wrong for reading it like this?

No your not wrong, and we all know that is exactly what will happen. We will end up being punished more than NE for deflate gate, or more than NO for bounty gate. They will go after a number one draft pick and probably 10-12Mil in cap space. It will be complete bogus BS, but you know that's how they will roll against us. Just another reason to get this crap behind us. Go into TC on a mission, with no distractions, and go win SB 50!!!

 

[blindzebra]

The issue isn't so much the Johnson contract, it is the crap contracts that Wallace, Harvin, and Maclin got all 3 are making more than Nelson and Cobb. If that 10 mil for Nelson and Cobb were the low end bench mark arriving at 14 mill for Dez and Thomas would be more appealing but when they see 12 mil for number 2 receivers like Wallace and Maclin and that waste of a helmet Harvin, that 14 looks like a slap in the face.

 

[erod]

The NFL needs to break this union once and for all.

Dez will make more on the franchise tag than Michael Irvin made his entire career.

 

[Sydla]

Plus it was reported that the evidence came from the agents. Yeah, I am sure that evidence is cerdible.

This is a total scare tactic move here. I hope Dallas and Denver tell them to pound sand.

 

[erod]

The issue isn't so much the Johnson contract, it is the crap contracts that Wallace, Harvin, and Maclin got all 3 are making more than Nelson and Cobb. If that 10 mil for Nelson and Cobb were the low end bench mark arriving at 14 mill for Dez and Thomas would be more appealing but when they see 12 mil for number 2 receivers like Wallace and Maclin and that waste of a helmet Harvin, that 14 looks like a slap in the face.

I'd just say, "Yeah, but that's Miami and Kansas City. They suck for a reason."

 

[MonsterD]

I hope this crap is over soon and we can see actual football news soon.

 

[Seven]

I think it's a preventative action for after football life. Medicinally speaking. JMO, of course. Setting the bar so to speak.

 

[cowboyblue22]

sounds to me like this is going to get nasty I don't know him for real but I don't think Stephen jones is real big on being pushed around. this sounds like a threat to me. and what will happen if they are found guilty which I doubt will happen.

 

[coult44]

The NFL needs to break this union once and for all.

Dez will make more on the franchise tag than Michael Irvin made his entire career.

The TV contracts will be more in this one year than they were for all of Irvin's years combined. I don't know why people want to ignore these facts. The price of a ticket to a single game in the worst seat in the stadium, is more than price of Super Bowl ticket during the 90's. It's a completely different level of money now. As the owners make billions more, the players want to make millions more. There's nothing wrong with everyone wanting their part of the money.

 

[Clarkson]

Good. This probably happened and should be dealt with should the players not get their contracts.

 

[Clarkson]

Dez will make more on the franchise tag than Michael Irvin made his entire career.

should we delve into why this is a stupid statement and irrelevant or na?