The NFLPA is spending a lot of the players' money on a challenge of any suspensions the NFL could hand down. They are sending this Case to court where they have asked for an injunction against any suspension that could come down. This is their chance to change the way that the NFL handles discipline, but they have to hope that a judge will be on their side. If they are wrong, they just threw away a lot of money. If they are right, this is a genius move that was long overdue.
Elliott's suspension is coming
I still believe that the NFL will plan to suspend Ezekiel Elliot for some length of time.
The NFLPA must think this, too, and they are getting ahead of this to see what the courts will do. They can drag the NFL through court to stop this suspension from happening, and they are making a case that the lead investigator recommended no discipline at all. If that is the case, the NFL is a broken system. We must then imagine how a bunch of men who run the NFL pushed aside a female investigator to ensure that they could suspend a black player.
What if the policy changes?
Is there a scenario in which a federal judge will look at the NFL and tell them to change their ways? I have no idea. I admit I am not a lawyer, but we have seen crazier things happen. The NFL could be ordered to a few things that turn out in the favor of the players, and it would be interesting to see how far the NFL wants to take this in court.
That means that the NFL is going to spend all its time in court even after the Super Bowl, and they will spend all their free time answering questions about their failed attempt to force the players to accept all suspensions.
What if the NFLPA wins?
The NFLPA could walk into negotiations for the next CBA with another win under their belt.
They could show that the NFL is not consistent in their discipline, and they would have all the evidence in the world that the players are not rated well. Someone who wants to use this at the negotiating table to force the owners to give back some power may be able to do so. It would be an interesting stance to take considering we could be on the verge of NFL players having guaranteed contracts.
It would be a strange dynamic if the NFLPA had more control over discipline, they got more money from the owners, and Aaron Rodgers asked for a guaranteed deal.
The NFLPA is hoping that this gamble will give them more control over how players are disciplined. They could drag this out in court for months while we watch Elliott play this season.
