During the Denver Broncos’ bye week, Russell Wilson was asked to adjust his contract to help the team’s future salary cap situation. Wilson refused to do so, and he has since been benched, as the Broncos warned him about.
Now, according to Mark Maske of The Washington Post, the Broncos’ threat to bench Wilson unless he complied with their mandate, is a direct violation of the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement.
According to The Post, what the Broncos did was illegal, and now the team could be subject to litigation.
Earlier this week, when Wilson confirmed the Broncos’ request, he mentioned a bit about the NFLPA eventually getting involved. According to Maske, NFLPA attorney Jeffrey Kessler did send a letter to the Broncos and the NFL’s management team back in early November.
“It has come to our attention that the Denver Broncos recently informed Mr. Wilson and his Certified Contract Advisor that if Mr. Wilson would not renegotiate his Player Contract to relinquish certain salary guarantees, the Broncos would remove him from the starting lineup.
If the Broncos follow-through on the Club’s threat, the Club will violate, among other things, the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Mr. Wilson’s Player Contract and New York law. And, we are particularly concerned that the Broncos still intend to commit these violations under the guise of ‘coaching decisions.’ ”
NFLPA letter to Denver Broncos
Meanwhile, coach Sean Payton maintains that the Broncos only benched Wilson for performance-related issues, with him hoping to create a spark offensively by going to Jarrett Stidham instead.
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