Sources - NFLPA, NFL agreed to keep collusion findings secret - ESPN

The NFL and senior leaders of the NFL Players Association struck an unusual confidentiality agreement that hid the details of an arbitration agreement from players, including a finding that league executives had urged team owners to reduce player compensation, multiple sources told ESPN.

On Jan. 14, arbitrator Christopher Droney ruled there wasn't sufficient evidence of collusion by owners after the record, fully guaranteed contract signed by quarterback Deshaun Watson in 2022. Any such collusion to keep salaries down would violate the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the union.

But Droney concluded that the NFLPA showed «by a clear preponderance of the evidence» that commissioner Roger Goodell and the league's general counsel Jeff Pash had urged owners to restrict guaranteed money in player contracts.

The confidentiality agreement had kept details of the 61-page ruling a secret until two weeks ago, when the «Pablo Torre Finds Out» podcast published the document and created a stir among union members. Some players told ESPN they were surprised by details in the ruling and didn't understand why the union hadn't shared the ruling with them.

On Tuesday night, nearly six months after Droney's decision, the NFLPA, led by executive director Lloyd Howell Jr., decided to seek an appeal of the ruling, a senior union source told ESPN.

«The appeal is a reflection of our obligation to enforce the CBA and our commitment to protecting our players' interests,» the source said. «We'll do what's best for players and we'll exhaust our options in doing so.»

The arbitration case centered on discussions among league executives and owners after the Cleveland Browns signed Watson to a record $230 million, five-year