The NFL Players Association filed a non-injury grievance Tuesday challenging the legitimacy of the NFL’s new national anthem policy on several grounds.
The NFLPA’s grievance argues that a peaceful demonstration during the national anthem does not qualify as “conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the National Football League.”
JUST IN: NFLPA files grievance challenging NFL's new anthem policy:
"The union’s claim is that this new policy, imposed by the NFL’s governing body without consultation with the NFLPA, is inconsistent with the collective bargaining agreement and infringes on player rights." pic.twitter.com/YJu7hbrUL9
— NBC News (@NBCNews) July 10, 2018
“The union’s claim is that this new policy, imposed by the NFL’s governing body without consultation with the NFLPA, is inconsistent with the collective bargaining agreement and infringes on player rights,” the NFLPA said in a statement.
The NFLPA argues that allowing peaceful demonstrations to be grounds for detrimental conduct discipline would set a terrible precedent, which teams could use to penalize for other peaceful demonstrations, including prayer.
The union has not ruled out the potential of challenging the legality of NFL’s anthem policy through cities or states, where statutes could prohibit employers from instituting rules like the anthem policy. Just more of a distraction away from the game. This is why fans aren’t tuning in like they used to.
