Wide receivers Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas have yet to sign long-term deals with the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos respectively, and it is beginning to become an issue for the league. The NFL players' union informed the teams on Tuesday that if the two players do not sign deals by Wednesday's deadline, they will move ahead with collusion charges against the teams.
The NFLPA also informed the two clubs on Monday that they need to preserve any emails, phone records, texts, and records of communications between the two teams. The union believes that they have credible information that the Cowboys and Broncos have had conversations about negotiations of long-term deals for the franchise players.
The CBA has granted the union the right to discovery in the case of a credible collusion claim.
Sources allege that Cowboys executive vice president/COO Stephen Jones has talked to the Broncos' John Elway about the negotiations, which is a violation of the CBA's anti-collusion rules. The Cowboys declined to comment on the report.
If neither player signs on Wednesday, the union believes that the result will be treble damages, which will entitle the players to triple the value of the highest current wide receiver contract. Calvin Johnson of the Detroit Lions is the highest paid wide-out with a $16.2 million deal.
If the players do sign on Wednesday, the charges would likely go away. The union plans to go through with the charges if the players hold back.
Bryant announced on Monday that if a deal does not get done, he will hold out out of training camp and regular-season games. After Wednesday, franchise players cannot sign long-term deals until after the 2015 season.
The NFLPA also informed the two clubs on Monday that they need to preserve any emails, phone records, texts, and records of communications between the two teams. The union believes that they have credible information that the Cowboys and Broncos have had conversations about negotiations of long-term deals for the franchise players.
The CBA has granted the union the right to discovery in the case of a credible collusion claim.
Sources allege that Cowboys executive vice president/COO Stephen Jones has talked to the Broncos' John Elway about the negotiations, which is a violation of the CBA's anti-collusion rules. The Cowboys declined to comment on the report.
If neither player signs on Wednesday, the union believes that the result will be treble damages, which will entitle the players to triple the value of the highest current wide receiver contract. Calvin Johnson of the Detroit Lions is the highest paid wide-out with a $16.2 million deal.
If the players do sign on Wednesday, the charges would likely go away. The union plans to go through with the charges if the players hold back.
Bryant announced on Monday that if a deal does not get done, he will hold out out of training camp and regular-season games. After Wednesday, franchise players cannot sign long-term deals until after the 2015 season.
