For over five months, the NFL and the NFL Players Association managed to keep a lid on the 61-page ruling in a significant collusion case. Now that the document is out in the open, both the league and the union have retreated into silence.
Despite multiple requests for comments, neither the NFL nor the NFLPA has issued a response regarding the findings of the collusion ruling.
The league’s muted reaction is hardly startling. Although the ruling ended in their favor, it paints the NFL in a less-than-flattering light, stoking the persistent belief that ownership meetings double as “collusion meetings.”
The outcome presents the Commissioner and the Management Council as lacking authority. They seemingly encouraged collusion, yet the owners brushed it off. (Or, rather, they gave it a halfhearted nod.)
But here’s the twist: after the pivotal March 2022 meeting, fully-guaranteed contracts like Deshaun Watson’s big deal didn’t set a new trend, suggesting team owners didn’t exactly snub the veiled “encouragement.”
Yet, System Arbitrator Christopher Droney chose a different narrative. He overlooked potential red flags, taking at face value the protests of those allegedly involved in tampering. In our view, Droney missed the mark.
What’s more perplexing is the NFLPA’s lack of action in leveraging the ruling. Opting to downplay a decision that actually highlighted league collusion—intentional or attempted—is inexplicable.
Where this saga leads is something we’ll explore in-depth as the offseason churns on, particularly as there’s no other buzzworthy diversion at present.
