Grievance Hearing Thread

[Cerevant]

Arbitrator Richard Bloch wrote in a 38-page decision that the Eagles clearly proved that the suspension was justified, and were within their right to pay their All-Pro receiver but not allow him to return "due to the nature of his conduct and its destructive and continuing threat to the team."

"We couldn't have written it any better ourselves," an Eagles official told ESPN's Sal Paolantonio.

Banner, Reid, and Lurie all rule.  Rule, I say.

The media kept saying that this point would not be decided, and that there would be another grievance once TO's Keyshawning began.  This is huge.

I heard the NFL VP of General Council on Sirius NFL Radio say that the Eagles showed a pattern of behavior dating back to last April, when he stated that he wanted a new contract.

They got it right - this wasn't about dissing McNabb or calling the team classless - this was about a contract, and the Eagles said "farg you TO"

Banner is a god.

[EJ72]

Not at all, Hbionic.

What he means is "Thanks, but we'd still like your team to meet a firey end in a large lake of napalm."

Nah. What would football be without rivalries? I may not be into the trashtalking, but there's no doubt that watching a game against a division rival takes the enjoyment and adrenaline to a different level. It's even better when all teams involved are competitive.

[MURP]

38 page decision.  ha.  Guess that explains why it took so damn long. 

[phillywin2k5]

at least the arbitrator had sense to rule this way. Now anyone as loopy as Keyshawn or JO will know that they cant just rely on the union to get them out of their own mess.

[rjs246]

So how long until TO blows his top and is in the news with something idiotic again? 3 hours?

[phillywin2k5]

5:45 just in time for SportsCenter 

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

The NFLPA is whining like sissybishes:

The players' association responded by saying it intended to dismiss Bloch, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported.

"One thing I can control is that he will no longer be an arbitrator in any more of our cases," NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw told Mortonson. "Under the CBA, either side has a right between Dec. 1 and Dec. 10 to dismiss an arbitrator and we are going to dismiss this one."

"We are obviously very disappointed with Arbitrator Bloch's decision," players' union general counsel Richard Berthelsen said in a statement. "His ruling ... ignores the obligation a club has to either provide employment to a player or allow him to play somewhere else. We are confident that we put in a winning case at the hearing last Friday, and we still believe Terrell Owens had a right to a legitimate reinstatement."

P.S.  Your vote counts!

[bobbyinlondon]

The NFLPA is whining like sissybishes:

The players' association responded by saying it intended to dismiss Bloch, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported.

"One thing I can control is that he will no longer be an arbitrator in any more of our cases," NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw told Mortonson. "Under the CBA, either side has a right between Dec. 1 and Dec. 10 to dismiss an arbitrator and we are going to dismiss this one."

"We are obviously very disappointed with Arbitrator Bloch's decision," players' union general counsel Richard Berthelsen said in a statement. "His ruling ... ignores the obligation a club has to either provide employment to a player or allow him to play somewhere else. We are confident that we put in a winning case at the hearing last Friday, and we still believe Terrell Owens had a right to a legitimate reinstatement."

Strange--I didn't hear them whining when he found in Chad Morton's favor last year. What this does is fire a shot across the bow of every single player who wants to try to strong arm a team into re-negotiating their contract, and taking it through the media in the way Owens did.  I'll enjoy watching PTI, ATH, and on Sunday, Countdown, especially Michael Irvin. Maybe Owens can get Michael to loan him the balance of the money the Eagles will want back. If they choose to go after the 1.75M in bonus money, they don't have to pay him another cent this year--they can withhold that money as payment toward the 1.75M.

Of course the NFLPA want to dismiss him--but I think they'll have a hard time doing so. I wonder what Berthelsen and Jeffery Kessler are thinking now. They're the ones that shot their mouths off on Friday night, confidnet it was going to be a slam dunk.

I just want the Eagles to do the right thing and not say another word about it.

[SD_Eagle5]

farg YOU TO!! 

U GT WHT U DSRVD BTCH!! 

TO I mean ESPN radio has been shredding him to bits  Sal Pal called in from the Eagles locker room and said it looked like the players were really relieved that they can put this nonsense behind him. At one point you could hear Hollis in the background cheering  Sheldon Brown's supposed to be on soon. 

[MURP]

interesting ESPN poll there.

[JTrotter Fan]

If the Eagles make him a free agent, can they franchise him?  Cuz that'd be one more way to say Farg You TO!

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

If the Eagles make him a free agent, can they franchise him?  Cuz that'd be one more way to say Farg You TO!

No, they can't.  That's obviously a stupid idea on many levels anyway, but they can't.

[rjs246]

FastFreddie sure is having a field day with pointing out people's stupid ideas. Fish in a barrel.

[JTrotter Fan]

If the Eagles make him a free agent, can they franchise him?  Cuz that'd be one more way to say Farg You TO!

No, they can't.  That's obviously a stupid idea on many levels anyway, but they can't.

Cuz he's cool and we're not.  And it's not stupid...cuz i say so.  Eat it!

[bobbyinlondon]

I just read the arbiter's opinion on PFT.com. It's very long, so here are the highlights:


           Some of the stuff that came out is unbelievable:

1. The night before training camp, Reid had a phone discussion with Owens, where Owens threatened to be disruptive incamp.

2. They must have transcribed ALL of the ESPN interviews, because they have them word for word in the opinion.

3. Owens, in the arbitration hearing MADE IT CLEAR he was disruptve because of his contract situation. If you read the arbitrator's words, you can almost hear him saying that Owens was daring him to uphold the suspension in that he didn't deny anything he said or what the percieved problem was.

4. The union, in its defense, tried to bringup other instances of players being fined for "Conduct Detrimental". But the arbitrator notes that noo one had gone on to national tv to actually say that's wht he was going to do.

5. Reid just didn't send 1 letter, there were THREE letters sent to Owens, warning him his behavior was unacceptable and he was close to being suspended.

6. The Eagles, in the 1st letter sent by Reid, INFORMED OWENS THEY WOULD BE SEEKING REPAYMENT OF 1.75M IN BONUS MONEY because of his refusal to show up to post draft minicamp.

7.. The union tried to argue that there was no "progressive disciplinary steps". But the arbitrator clearly states that the letters Reid sent, plus his verbal warnings met the progressive disciplne test.

8. Reid urged Owens to get privately with McNabb and get things sorted out--he refused.

9. The half-hearted apology he read where he tore off the apology to McNabb. Reid testified, under oath, that he told Owens, HE DID NOT HAVE TO APOLOGIZE TO HIM IN PUBLIC OR IN FRONT OF THE TEAM. Owens told Reid AND the arbitrator he couldn't do that.


In short, either Owens didn't tell the union reps everything, or the union vastly underestimated Reid's steps to get this corrected. I think I'd believe the former.