If it was a coincidence, it was one hell of a coincidence.
In the same week that the ruling emerged in the grievance sparked by the efforts of former NFL Players Association president JC Tretter to suggest that disgruntled players should fake injuries, the NFLPA has exercised its prerogative to discharge the arbitrator who ruled against the union.
Sportico was reported, and PFT has confirmed, that the union has severed ties with Sidney Moreland. Moreland signed the decision that ended with a cease-and-desist order to the union regarding comments about the faking of injuries.
It happened recently, because it had to.
From Article 43, Section 6 of the CBA: “Either party to this Agreement may discharge a member of the arbitration panel by serving written notice upon the arbitrator and the other party to this Agreement from July 10 through July 20 of each year, but at no time shall such discharges result in no arbitrators remaining on the panel. If an arbitrator has been discharged, he or she shall retain jurisdiction for any case in which the hearing has commenced.”
Neither the NFL nor the NFLPA responded to a Thursday morning inquiry from PFT regarding Moreland’s discharge.
It’s unclear whether it was the Tretter grievance or some other ruling was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Regardless, it sure looks like there’s a connection between the February 20 ruling and the recent decision by the NFLPA to move on from Moreland.
The decision, obtained by Torre, seems fair and balanced. Tretter said what he said. There were no controversial findings.
The only controversy was and is the NFL’s decision to not publicize the outcome, possibly if not apparently if not actually as the quid pro quo for the NFLPA not publicizing its partial win in the collusion case.
