An arbiter ruled in January that there was no collusion by NFL clubs in response to a grievance filed by the NFL Players Association in 2022 that alleged the league and its member clubs colluded to restrict or limit fully guaranteed player contracts in the wake of Deshaun Watson's record-setting contract.
The "Pablo Torre Finds Out" podcast published the Jan. 14 decision, which had not been made public previously, on Tuesday. Contacted by ESPN, the NFLPA declined to comment, and the NFL did not respond to comment.
Though Christopher Droney did not award any damages and dismissed the NFLPA's demand in its entirety, he found that the NFLPA showed, "by a clear preponderance of the evidence that concerted action was contemplated and invited at the March 2022 owners meeting.