NFLPA files complaint re: Butler

@ESPNBoston: NFL Players Association files complaint vs. New England Patriots on Malcolm Butler http://t.co/x2vTGig74M

Leave us alone...

I side with the NFLPA on this one.

Right is right.

Fk this league, its unions, and everyone involved that isn't a NEP. I'm done with this league when BB and Brady retire, if I even make it that long. Good God look where we are.

Whose starting the Patriots lose 2016 2nd round pick and BB suspended 4 games thread?

shmessy said:

I side with the NFLPA on this one.

Right is right.

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Yup. Seems like a pretty cut-and-dry violation of the CBA.

There goes the 2017 1st rounder.

I'll take "Things that are no surprise at all", for 500, Alex.

AndyJohnson said:

There goes the 2017 1st rounder.

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They'll fine the team and Belichick, just like Carroll and the Seahawks were fined last year for a violation of the CBA in OTAs. Pretty regular occurrence, though with a single player as plaintiff Butler may also be awarded damages (not sure, IANAL).

I just don't really understand this. I would get it if this were the regular season or even training camp, but how is holding a player out of on-field practice, but allowing all other participation, in completely voluntary organized team activities a violation? So if I understand this correctly, the thinking is "if I show up to a voluntary activity, you have to let me do whatever I want, but if I don't show up at all, you can't do s***."

Ross12 said:

I just don't really understand this. I would get it if this were the regular season or even training camp, but how is holding a player out of on-field practice, but allowing all other participation, in completely voluntary organized team activities a violation? So if I understand this correctly, the thinking is "if I show up to a voluntary activity, you have to let me do whatever I want, but if I don't show up at all, you can't do s***."

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You cannot penalize a player for missing voluntary activities. That's what was done.

Ross12 said:

I just don't really understand this. I would get it if this were the regular season or even training camp, but how is holding a player out of on-field practice, but allowing all other participation, in completely voluntary organized team activities a violation? So if I understand this correctly, the thinking is "if I show up to a voluntary activity, you have to let me do whatever I want, but if I don't show up at all, you can't do s***."

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Pretty much this. You cannot claim that the voluntary nature of the event disallows punishment when the punishment in question is removal from said voluntary event. It makes no sense.

EDIT: Particularly when the player still had access to everything else on site.

Oswlek said:

Pretty much this. You cannot claim that the voluntary nature of the event disallows punishment when the punishment in question is removal from said voluntary event. It makes no sense.

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Yes, you can, and yes it does. It's in the CBA.

This ones on Belichick. Love the guy but this whole thing was stupid in the first place.

Interestingly, they apparently filed it without Butler's permission. Surprised they don't need the player's permission for this stuff.

Can't complain much though, I think this whole controversy is pretty stupid but if the NFLPA thinks it's worth filing a complaint over they probably should.

Ross12 said:

I just don't really understand this. I would get it if this were the regular season or even training camp, but how is holding a player out of on-field practice, but allowing all other participation, in completely voluntary organized team activities a violation? So if I understand this correctly, the thinking is "if I show up to a voluntary activity, you have to let me do whatever I want, but if I don't show up at all, you can't do s***."

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You can't punish someone in any way for skipping or missing something that is explicitly voluntary. You can't treat a voluntary activity as mandatory and punish someone accordingly. It's literally in the CBA, and this was a cut-and-dry violation of that.

"Yawn."

Oops, sorry, that was involuntary.

This isn't smelling right. Why do they want all practice film and records of participants? Something smells here folks. Something really smells.

Deus Irae said:

You cannot penalize a player for missing voluntary activities. That's what was done.

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primetime said:

You can't punish someone in any way for skipping or missing something that is explicitly voluntary. You can't treat a voluntary activity as mandatory and punish someone accordingly. It's literally in the CBA, and this was a cut-and-dry violation of that.

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I guess when you look at as simply a punishment for missing a voluntary activity, and disregard what the punishment itself is, it makes sense. It just seems odd, in a way, that the punishment is to stop someone from participating in a voluntary activity.

I guess it is technically a violation, then. But if BB were to allow to Butler to suit up but give him little to no reps, that wouldn't really constitute a punishment, would it? That would simply be giving other guys reps, you couldn't really say he was definitively "punished". Maybe that would've been the wiser move...

Ross12 said:

Maybe that would've been the wiser move...

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Which would have actually been worse for Malcolm, since he wouldn't have been able to use that time for things like film study.

ViperGTS said:

This isn't smelling right. Why do they want all practice film and records of participants? Something smells here folks. Something really smells.

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Ted Wells probably wants the film and records to conduct his next investigation. He will also need everyone's cell phone records. We'll wait 4-5 months for the report, and when it comes out, it'll hinge on a text message on Caserio's phone that says "I'm gonna fire the butler". Troy Vincent will say this is a severe penalty, as you can't cut a player for missing voluntary activities, and will dock the Patriots 2 first rounders and suspend Tom Brady for 1 year even though he had nothing to do with it. When it is uncovered that Butler is in fact still on the active roster, and Caserio was talking about his personal butler at home, Wells will say that it isn't true and he doesn't believe him. ESPN will report that while the continued employment of Malcolm Butler and the unemployment of Caserio's butler may cast doubt on Wells Report 2.0, it doesn't completely exonerate the Patriots because, well, text messages!

ViperGTS said:

This isn't smelling right. Why do they want all practice film and records of participants? Something smells here folks. Something really smells.

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I smell ulterior motive all over this....I wonder if BB is planning on producing as moany opportunities as humanly possible for the NFLPA to go at the team/league