National Football League team owners are facing a legal challenge over the new personal conduct policy they adopted last month in the wake of several high-profile domestic violence cases.
The NFL Players Association has filed a non-injury grievance against the league, challenging the approval of the policy under its collective bargaining agreement with the NFL and seeking a court-issued cease and desist order to prevent the league from implementing the rules.
The NFL created the policy after domestic violence cases involving star rushers Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson and Carolina defensive end Greg Hardy, irking the union, which wanted full collective bargaining negotiations rather than simple tweaking of one area.
The new plan allows the NFL to put a player on paid leave while his case works its way through the legal process.
A union proposal for a new conduct policy was given to the league in November but the NFL presented its own plan to owners at a league meeting last month in Dallas, where the league plan was unanimously approved.
The union argues the policy violates the labor deal in several ways, including imposing a new method of punishing players in the commissioner's exempt list, used in the wake of an incident involving Peterson so he would be suspended but with pay.
The union also challenged the league's revamped policy to determine discipline and a new probationary period in detrimental conduct language.
"The league's revised conduct policy was the product of a tremendous amount of analysis and work and is based on input from a broad and diverse group of experts within and outside of football, including current players, former players, and the NFL Players Association," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in a statement.
"We and the public firmly believe that all NFL personnel should be held accountable to a stronger, more effective conduct policy. Clearly, the union does not share that belief."
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