LEGAL LINE VOL. V

HIDDEN GEMS IN THE NFL'S COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT
By Scott Daniels, Esq., NFL Draft Bible

In 1993, the NFL owners and The NFL Players Association collaborated to form the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement. It is essentially the governing by-laws of the NFL and covers everything from free agency to a team's salary cap.

The NFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement is an amazing document. It is crafted with detail and precision. It's a rather large document and unlike Roger Goodell's Conduct Policy, the Collective Bargaining Agreement is clear and unambiguous. After reading it in entirety, I found a few interesting clauses that I wanted to share.


PRACTICE SQUAD SALARIES

Here's something you probably didn't know. The minimum salary requirement for a practice squad player is $4,700 per week, which includes the playoffs, if applicable. Not bad for a player who rarely dresses for an actual game.

UNSIGNED ROOKIES

What would happen if Jamarcus Russell and the Oakland Raiders fail to come to an agreement on his contract and negotiations break down mid-season? Common knowledge would lead one to believe Russell's only options are to sign with Oakland or force a trade. While these options are certainly available, the NFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement allows for another very interesting scenario.

Under Article XVI, entitled "College Draft," a rookie who fails to sign a contract with the team that drafted him can actually enter the subsequent year's NFL Draft. A rookie can only sign with the team that drafted him up until the day of the following year's draft. On that day, the unsigned rookie becomes eligible to be drafted by any team except the team that initially drafted him.

Section 4(b)(ii) of Article XVI states: "If a Drafted Rookie has not signed a Player Contract during the period from the date of such Draft to the thirteenth day prior to the first Sunday of the regular season: the Club that drafted the player is the only Club with which the player may sign a Player Contract until the day of the Draft in the subsequent League Year, at which time such player is eligible to be drafted in the subsequent League Year's Draft by any Club except the Club that drafted him in the initial Draft."

Jamarcus Russell is supposed to be the face and future of the Oakland Raiders. Imagine if he holds out until next year's draft and declares himself eligible for the 2008 NFL Draft. Through this clause, rookies can hold out an entire year in the hopes that they are drafted to a better team. While I have never seen it done before, it's certainly a possibility.

PLAYER FINES

We all know that violent hits, rambunctious end zone celebrations and unsportsmanlike conduct are common acts that trigger player fines in the NFL. The league treats these violations very seriously and the Collective Bargaining Agreement has an entire section on Club Discipline. Here are some fines you may not have been aware of:

Overweight - Players can actually be fined up to $400 per pound for exceeding the weight limit agreed upon in the player's contract. This fine can be assessed by a team up to two times a week.

Throwing the Football into the Stands - maximum fine of $1,500.

Skipping Mini-Camp - As evidenced by Michael Strahan's recent holdout, a player may be fined up to $14,000 per day, plus one week's regular season salary for each pre-season game missed. Strahan, a veteran defensive end for the New York Giants, was fined over $500,000 for his holdout this season.

You can view the NFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement on the NFL Players Association website at www.nflpa.org.