The last CBA made it harder for players under contract to hold out. The new CBA, if ratified, would make it even harder.
Per a league source, the new labor deal as explained to agents during their annual meeting at the Scouting Combine includes several devices that will disincentivize players under contract from missing training camp.
First, the daily training-camp fines would become mandatory for players operating under their second contracts. That’s a huge difference, given that most teams usually wipe the slate clean once the player reports. So when, for example, a player incurs $40,000 per day for staying away from camp for 10 days, the full $400,000 comes from his pocket, and neither he nor the team can do anything about it.
And forget about $40,000 per day. Second, the amounts of the fines would be “substantially increased.” The specific numbers aren’t yet known.
Third, the player will lose an accrued season toward free agency by failing to show up for camp on town or by leaving camp for more than five days. This would supersede the rule that removes an accrued year only if the player fails to report within 30 days before the first game of the regular season.
As we’ve said in the past, players operate under two contracts. And it’s the broader contract between league and union that dictates the penalties for violating the terms of the specific contract between team and player. The broader contract would be getting a lot less forgiving, under the terms of the proposed labor deal.