Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Bills’ McCoy denies allegation of bloodying his girlfriend
Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy says an allegation posted on social media accusing him of bloodying his former girlfriend’s face is baseless and false.
An Instagram post Tuesday from a person who says she is friends with the woman showed a graphic photo of the former girlfriend and accuses McCoy of physically abusing her, his son and his dog, as well as injecting steroids.
McCoy says in his own post on Instagram that it has been months since he’s had any direct contact with his ex-girlfriend or the person who posted the accusations.
The woman who posted the accusations and the ex-girlfriend have not responded to messages left by The Associated Press. The AP generally does not identify people who may have been victims of abuse.
The Bills issued a statement saying they have been in contact with McCoy and the NFL and will continue gathering information. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy says the league is reviewing the matter.
McCoy has never been suspended by the NFL for violating the league’s policy against performance enhancing substances during his nine-year career.
McCoy turns 30 on Thursday and preparing to enter his fourth season with the Bills. He spent his first six seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he led the NFL in yards rushing in 2013 before being traded to Buffalo in 2015.
Players union files grievance over anthem policy
NEW YORK » The NFL Players Association filed a grievance with the league on Tuesday challenging its national anthem policy.
The union says that the new policy, which the league imposed without consultation with the NFLPA, is inconsistent with the collective bargaining agreement and infringes on players’ rights. The filing met a statute of limitations deadline and will be heard by an independent arbitrator, an NFLPA spokesman said.
In May, the NFL approved its national anthem policy at its owners meetings in Atlanta. The policy allows players to protest during the national anthem by staying in the locker room, but forbids them from sitting or taking a knee if they’re on the field or the sidelines.
Teams will be subject to fines if players don’t comply and will have the option of punishing players.
When the league announced the policy, Commissioner Roger Goodell called it a compromise aimed at putting the focus back on football after a tumultuous year in which television ratings dipped nearly 10 percent; some blamed the protests for such a drop. The union said at that time that it would file a grievance against any change in the collective bargaining agreement.
The union said Tuesday it has proposed having its executive committee talking to the NFL instead of proceeding with litigation. The union said the NFL has agreed to those discussions.
The NFL declined to comment about the union’s action.
In 2016, then-49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick began protesting police brutality and social injustice by kneeling during the national anthem, and the demonstration spread to other players and teams. It became one of the most controversial and sensitive issues in the NFL, with players saying their messages last year were being misconstrued, while others — including President Donald Trump — called them unpatriotic. Trump even said NFL owners should fire any player who refused to stand during the anthem.
“We’re here for a bigger platform,” Raiders tight end Jared Cook said during the spring. “We’re not just athletes. We’re people that live this. It’s people in our neighborhood, it’s people that we grew up with, it’s people that we know who are actually living through these circumstances. So when we speak on it, it’s not like we’re just speaking out of the side of our neck. It’s things that actually touch home and things that we can actually relate to.