The NFL Players Association unexpectedly raised the bar for sending the current CBA proposal to the full union for a vote. Early Wednesday, that bar was cleared.
Per a league source, the vote by the 32-member board of player representatives was 17 for, 14 against, and one abstention. That gave the measure the minimum number of votes needed to send the measure to the full union, based on the re-interpretation of the NFLPA Constitution that the union communicated to agents on Monday.
The proposed CBA won’t go to the full union with a recommendation for the players to accept it, however. It has been believe that, ultimately, the absence of a recommendation won’t matter, and that the rank and file will indeed accept the proposed deal.
It’s unclear whether and to what extent the NFL adjusted the terms of the proposal that the league officially ratified last Thursday. What is clear is that the full member of the union (roughly 1,900 dues-paying members) will cast an up or down vote on the new CBA. If 50 percent plus one approve, it will be adopted.