06-07-2018, 12:13 PM
(06-07-2018, 10:58 AM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: So then you admit that you're not sure if the current CBA prohibits political protest while "on the clock". I can't imagine it doesn't, in some fashion, as every employer in the United States has some rule against political activity on the job. Hell, even bars have a rule against talking politics.
No, not what I said at all. In your example you mentioned a flag and tied a "protest" to it. I was saying does the CBA prevent you from carrying a flag, similar to how it doesn't prevent them from kneeling. The CBA doesn't stop political speech as it isn't referenced anywhere in it and would have to have been collectively bargained for it to appear, in fact the NFL has said on multiple accounts now and in the past it supports it's players first amendment rights to speech of all kinds. That is why it would be required that the action itself is banned by the CBA not the "meaning" behind the action.
As much as you want to act like they could do something, you are severely under appreciating the power of unionized labor and the protections the CBA affords the players as that labor force. As we saw in the last CBA negotiations and all the legal battles over punishments since, courts continually differ to the CBA and the agreed upon working conditions negotiated by the two parties. This is why Tom Brady and Zeek Elliot's suspensions were upheld in court. The courts said that based on the CBA no matter how crazy their "findings" were, that power to punish for these instances were given to the commissioner in the CBA. No power was ever granted to the league to punish for pregame political displays.
