NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement
Club Discipline
Section 3(a)Uniformity
Discipline will be imposed uniformly within a Club on all players for the same offense; however, if the Club’s published list of discipline imposes fines for designated offenses that are less than the limits set by the maximum schedule set forth in Section 1(b) above, the Club may specify the events which create an escalation of the discipline, not to exceed such maximum limits, provided the formula for escalation is uniform in its application. Nothing in this Section 3 shall preclude any Club from imposing a fine and/or a suspension without pay for conduct detrimental to the Club, as set forth in Section 1(b)(xvii) above, in any case in which the same player has committed repeated offenses, which offenses need not be in the same disciplinary category, in the same League Year, whether or not the fines imposed for the player’s prior offenses were escalated as described in the immediately preceding sentence of this Section or pursuant to Progressive Discipline, as described in Section 1(a) above; provided, however, that (i) unless otherwise permitted under this Agreement or arbitration precedent, no Club may impose a fine and/or suspension without pay for conduct detrimental to the Club prior to the player’s fourth violation in the same League Year of any category listed in Subsections 1(b)(ii)-(v), 1(b)(x), and 1(b)(xii)-(xv) above, which offenses need not be in the same disciplinary category; (ii) multiple violations of such Subsections on the same day (e.g., unexcused missed mandatory meeting, scheduled appointment with trainer, and practice) shall subject the player to a separate fine for each such offense within the limits set forth in Sections 1 and 7 of this Article, but shall not be deemed repeated offenses within the same League Year for the purposes of this sentence; and (iii) no fine under Subsection 1(b)(i) (Overweight) may serve as the predicate, in whole or in part, for the imposition of discipline under Subsection 1(b)(xvii) (Conduct Detrimental to the Club). The NFLPA expressly reserves the right to challenge the imposition of such discipline for conduct detrimental to the Club based upon the absence of just cause and/or any other allowable bases for opposing discipline.