Players delay CBA vote after committee’s decision

NFL Players Association player representatives delayed a vote on a proposed collective bargaining agreement Friday after the union’s executive committee voted against recommending the deal on the table.

Citing a source, ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported that the NFL and NFLPA will meet Tuesday at the scouting combine in Indianapolis. A vote by the NFLPA board of player representatives could take place either Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, he said, adding that it would still require a vote of all players afterward on the proposal.

The NFLPA executive committee on Friday voted 6-5 against recommending the currently proposed collective bargaining agreement.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero first reported the vote’s outcome, noting that the executive committee also is the same group responsible for negotiating the deal. However, several committee members, including vice presidents Russell Okung and Richard Sherman, oppose the deal.

The executive committee’s vote serves as a recommendation, and the proposed CBA now goes to the 32 player representatives. That group was expected to vote on Friday but the NFLPA said it didn’t occur.

“Today, the NFLPA Board of Player Representatives did not take a vote on the principal terms of a proposed new collective bargaining agreement,” the NFLPA said in a statement. “Our player leadership looks forward to meeting with NFL management again next week before the Board takes a vote shortly after.”

According ESPN, union leaders and union lawyers decided to hold a full vote regardless of the player representatives’ recommendation. More than 50 percent of the membership must vote in favor of the CBA for it to be approved.

On Thursday, NFL owners approved the CBA, which required the agreement of more than three-fourths of the owners in order to ratify the deal.

A conference call for the 32 player reps had been set, and they were expected to focus on key terms of the agreement including expanding the regular season to 17 games and expanding the playoff field to seven teams in each conference, according to the ESPN report. Other key points include an increased share of revenues for players, increased spending minimums for clubs, changes to the league’s drug policy regarding marijuana, a modified on-field discipline fine schedule and increased benefits for former players.

The current CBA was ratified in 2011 and is set to expire following the 2020 season. If approved by the players, the new CBA could reportedly go into effect in time for the new league year, which begins March 18. (Reuters)