UPDATE (6:05 p.m. ET): NFL Players Association spokesman George Atallah confirmed to The Associated Press that the union has filed a complaint to the league about New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler being held out of voluntary organized team activities as punishment.
ORIGINAL STORY: It appears Roger Goodell isn’t the only one coming after the New England Patriots.
The NFL Players Association has filed a formal complaint against the Patriots for preventing cornerback Malcolm Butler from participating in organized team activities, ESPN’s Randy Scott reported Thursday. The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin later confirmed the news through a source.
Butler reportedly missed a flight before the team’s first OTA session, causing head coach Bill Belichick to punish the Super Bowl XLIX hero by holding him out of practice for three weeks.
Shortly after that news broke, reports surfaced that the NFLPA was investigating Belichick and the Patriots for their disciplinary action against Butler. Article 21, Section 5(a) of the league’s collective bargaining agreement states that voluntary OTA workouts can’t be treated as mandatory, so punishing Butler for not being in attendance might violate those terms.
Butler returned to practice in early June after serving his punishment, and both he and his head coach declined to comment on his discipline.
The Patriots apparently have a lot on their plate off the field, as quarterback Tom Brady is awaiting Goodell’s ruling on his appeal of a four-game Deflategate suspension.
UPDATE (1:10 p.m. ET): Sports Illustrated legal analyst Michael McCann provided some insight into the NFLPA’s filing Thursday afternoon.
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Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@footballhubweb
