NFL arbiter rules against Jaguars in case involving Dante Fowler

The National Football League Players Association and former Jaguars defensive end Dante Fowler won a ruling on a grievance against the Jaguars after an arbiter ruled the team was remiss in fining Fowler more than $700,000 for missing rehabilitation or medical appointments before training camp.

Although the NFLPA did not identify the player involved, Fowler confirmed on his Twitter account that it was him.

“They literally hated me,” Fowler posted on social media. “I got it all back though! Thanks to the NFLPA.”

Fowler was traded to the Los Angeles Rams last year.

The arbiter ruled that the Jaguars cannot fine players for missing rehab or medical appointments during the off-season or during periods of voluntary activities, nor can the team make those periods mandatory.

The NFLPA email, first obtained by nfl.com, said a Jaguars player [presumably Fowler, since he said it was him on Twitter] was fined 25 times for missing mandatory appointments with the team trainer or doctor.

The email said the arbiter rejected the team’s contention that the team had a right to fine a player for not rehabbing at a club facility.

“He held that, with limited exceptions, offseason activities are ‘strictly voluntary,’ and no club can make those activities mandatory,” the letter said.

The Jaguars referred questions about the ruling to the NFL office.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement gives teams the right to require player to rehab year-round. But teams cannot force a player to rehab in a team’s city during a voluntary period.

The NFLPA also chastised the Jaguars for “the blatant overreach” in voluntary offseason activities.

“It should be noted that Jaguars players continue to be at odds with Jaguars management over their rights under the [Collective Bargaining Agreement] far more than players on other clubs.”

The letter claimed 25 percent of the grievances filed by players in the NFL in the last two years were against the Jaguars.

The letter did not identify anyone in the Jaguars front office but vice-president of football operations Tom Coughlin was cited by former Jaguar Jalen Ramsey, when he demanded and got a trade to the Rams, for criticizing him for not attending voluntary workouts.

According to espn.com, another former player, Jared Odrick, won a grievance after the Jaguars refused to pay guaranteed money when he was cut in February of 2017, because the team claimed he did not attend rehab sessions.

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: NFL arbiter rules against Jaguars in case involving Dante Fowler