Sources: NFLPA pursuing case against Cowboys and Broncos
Dez Bryant's contract negotiations (or lack thereof) with the Dallas Cowboys could get even more interesting in light of new developments.
A source tells FOX Sports that the NFL Players Association believes they have credible evidence that during the negotiating process, Dallas Cowboys officials informed Bryant that they've had conversations with Denver Broncos officials regarding potential long-term deals for both him and Denver wide receiver Demaryius Thomas. By nature of the Collective Bargaining Agreement signed in 2011, such discussions among team officials would be grounds for discovery, and could provide the NFLPA enough for a collusion claim.
The NFLPA formally informed both the Cowboys and Broncos on Monday that team officials need to preserve all emails, phone records, texts and records of other communication between the two teams. The letters of preservation require that neither team can delete nor discard any back-and-forth between team officials from the two franchises.
Sources tell FOX Sports that it'd go as far back as Bryant and Thomas' names being brought up in conversation between the two teams in any form of electronic communication. Something as simple as a text message between Broncos and Cowboys officials in regards to Bryant and Thomas at an Owners Meetings two years ago could be enough to make this into a credible case.
The Cowboys and Broncos have until 4 p.m. EST on Wednesday to come to long-term deals with their respective star wide receivers. If both teams opt not to ink new long-term deals by the deadline, the two players will play under the franchise tag for the entirety of the 2015 NFL season. Neither team would be able to negotiate a new contract with the wide outs until the new league year begins in March of 2016.
Sources indicate to FOX Sports that Cowboys officials are confident that there have been no nefarious conversations with the Broncos on the subject of wide receivers.
Regardless of the outcome, the letters of preservation add another wrinkle to Bryant's contract talks with Dallas — one of the more widely observed stories of the offseason.
If the Cowboys and Broncos were to be found guilty of collusion — and there's no exact timetable on if and when such a ruling would be made — one of two things could happen. First, both Bryant and Thomas' contracts could be immediately voided, making the players unrestricted free agents and able to sign anywhere. Second, it could lead to a situation in which both players are awarded damages that are calculated as the lost value of a long-term deal due to the collusive conduct. Under the CBA, those damages are doubled, with the actual damage amount rewarded to the player who was damaged and the doubling amount awarded to a charitable fund benefiting players designated by the NFLPA.
Sources close to the situation tell FOX Sports that the NFLPA isn't pursuing this particular action so close to the Wednesday deadline as a form of a threat to the respective teams. Rather, the NFLPA is set to proceed with the case regardless of whether long term deals are struck before 4 p.m. Wednesday or not.
