We can expect a near overhaul of the NFL’s personal conduct policy in the not-so-distant future. And if the meeting between the league and the NFL Players Association on Tuesday is any indication, there is going to be an extensive conversation before any real decisions are made.
In an email to the NFLPA executive committee, executive director DeMaurice Smith had this to say about Tuesday’s meeting, which lasted four hours (via Pro Football Talk).
[Y]our union conveyed to the league that due process for players is not a luxury, it’s a right,” Smith told the executive committee and player representatives. “While the league currently has great concern for its brand, fairness and justice for our members is more important. For us, the starting point for these discussions must be the desire to agree upon a fair personal conduct policy and domestic violence rules from a standpoint of prevention and education. We will not accept a world where all players are viewed as perpetrators first and husbands, fathers, sons and brothers second.
He also indicated that it was a bargaining session between the two sides, which can read to mean that Smith is fighting to take some power away from league executives, including commissioner Roger Goodell.
There has been some talk of Goodell recusing himself from the penalty aspect of personal conduct cases. And in reality, that’s something that needs to happen moving forward.
The latter part of Smith’s comments are interesting.
We will not accept a world where all players are viewed as perpetrators first and husbands, fathers, sons and brothers second.
This raises the question of whether the NFL will be able to employ a policy that has in the past ignored due process. If this email is any indication, Smith will not accept a new policy that doesn’t include due process.
While the two sides did not come to an agreement on Tuesday, there are plans for them to meet at some point in the near future. And it’s likely going to take a few more of these “bargaining sessions” before an agreement is reached.
Photo: Huffington Post