Documents: NFL filed grievance against NFLPA to stop report cards - ESPN

The NFL filed a grievance against the NFL Players Association, asking the union to stop its annual team report cards and saying the exercise violates the collective bargaining agreement by airing public criticism of teams, according to documents obtained by ESPN.

The league claims the report cards, which poll players on various aspects of working conditions, violate a CBA clause that says NFL owners and the union must «use reasonable efforts to curtail public comments by club personnel or players which express criticism of any club, its coach, or its operation and policy,» according to an August letter from the league's management council to NFLPA general counsel Tom DePaso that was obtained by ESPN.

After months of discussions with the league after the letter, the NFLPA alerted its players of the grievance last week and said it's «moving ahead with this year's survey,» according to a union email obtained by ESPN.

«We have responded to the grievance with our intention to fight against this action and continue what's clearly become an effective tool for comparing workplace standards across the league and equipping you to make informed career decisions,» the NFLPA wrote in its email to players.

Both a union spokesperson and an NFL spokesperson declined to comment.

The union's annual team report cards issue grades — from A to F — to franchises on everything from treatment of families to training staff.

In the letter, the NFL's management council, which handles labor issues for the league, argues the NFL and union already agree to conduct a joint survey of players «regarding the adequacy of player care and other relevant topics» every three years, per the CBA. The letter states that the company overseeing that survey has