NFLPA cautions players against signing with Jaguars due to excessive fines and multiple grievances
The NFLPA is none too happy with the Jacksonville Jaguars. In a scathing letter Monday, the NFLPA blasted the Jaguars for excessively fining players. The union even went so far as to tell players to think twice before signing with the Jaguars.
The NFLPA issued that warning after discussing a recent grievance filed against the team, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
The NFLPA has informed players that an arbitrator ruled in the union’s favor in a grievance against the #Jaguars over requiring injured players to rehab and see doctors at the team facility during the offseason. Full text of the NFLPA email below: pic.twitter.com/lPLxWEej8J
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 16, 2019
As the union lays out, the Jaguars fined one player over $700,000 in 2018 because that player did not attend offseason rehab at the team’s facility. The NFLPA argued that went against the collective-bargaining agreement, and that player filed a grievance against the Jaguars.
An arbitrator ruled on the situation and found the Jaguars to be in the wrong. The arbitrator ruled that many offseason activities are “strictly voluntary,” and the team could not fine the player for missing them.
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While the NFLPA did not reveal which Jaguars player filed this grievance, it’s believed to be former Jags linebacker Dante Fowler. The 25-year-old Fowler signed with the Los Angeles Rams in the offseason after the Jaguars traded him in October of 2018.
In a tweet, Fowler confirmed he was the player in question and said the Jaguars “hated” him.
They literally hated me . I got it all back though! Thanks to the NFLPA https://t.co/vUIg5tsKvr
— Dante fowler (@dantefowler) December 16, 2019
After laying out the issue, the NFLPA went scorched earth on the Jaguars. It revealed that 25 percent of all player grievances over the past two seasons have been filed against the Jaguars. The letter ends with this ominous warning: “You as players may want to consider this when you have a chance to select your next club.”
The “last two years” line hints at the culprit at the center of his controversy. That’s when former Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin joined the team as its executive vice president of football operations. Coughlin is known for his hard-nosed, no-nonsense approach. That may have served him well as a coach, but the league has changed in recent years. Based on the NFLPA’s note, Coughlin is stuck in the past.
That might not be the case much longer. At 5-9, the entire Jaguars’ front office was already on thin ice even before the NLFPA’s warning.
The NFLPA’s letter could be the thing that persuades the Jaguars to make some significant changes.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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