Washington, DC (Sports Network) - The National Football League Players
Association has filed a lawsuit in Minnesota, claiming the league instituted a
secret salary cap for the 2010 season.
The NFLPA said league owners imposed a salary cap of $123 million per team for
the year, which was supposed to be an uncapped season. The league went into a
lockout the following summer before a new collective bargaining agreement was
reached.
"When the rules are broken in a way that hurts the game, we have an obligation
to act," said NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith. "We cannot stand by
when we now know that the owners conspired to collude."
The complaint, filed in the United States District Court of Minnesota, cites
New York Giants owner John Mara as publicly confirming that the league
directed teams to restrict salaries during the 2010 season.
On Tuesday, the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys had a grievance
dismissed by a special master and will have salary-cap reductions over the
next two seasons for piling money into the uncapped year by front-loading
contracts. The Redskins will have a cap reduction of $36 million over two
years, while the Cowboys will suffer a $10 million hit in the same span.
The NFLPA cited a statement Mara made in reference to the penalties imposed by
the league against the Cowboys and Redskins in its court filing.
"What they did was in violation of the spirit of the salary cap," the NFLPA
quoted Mara as saying. "They attempted to take advantage of a one-year
loophole ... full well knowing there would be consequences."
In its filing, the NFLPA alleges that the league's reason for penalizing the
Redskins and Cowboys, as well as the Oakland Raiders and New Orleans Saints,
was for "not fully abiding by the Collusive Agreement."
The NFL issued a statement in response and said the new collective bargaining
agreement, reached in August of last year, prohibits the filing of these
claims.
"The filing of these claims is prohibited by the Collective Bargaining
Agreement and separately, more by an agreement signed by the players'
attorneys last August," league spokesman Greg Aiello wrote on his Twitter
account.
"The claims have absolutely no merit & we fully expect them to be dismissed.
On multiple occasions, the players and their representatives specifically
dismissed all claims, known or unknown, whether pending or not regarding
alleged violations of the 2006 CBA and the related settlement agreement. We
continue to look forward to focusing on the future of the game rather than
grievances of a prior era that have already been resolved.
"And so it is clear: There was no collusion. There was no agreement. These
claims are totally unfounded."
The Sports Network