If, as it appears, the NFL fined various Raiders players who (frankly) deserve to be fined for attending a potential indoor superspreader event last Monday night in Nevada, the NFL may have overstepped its authority.
As crafted, the rules limiting the things players can and can’t do away from the facility give the franchises the ability to impose punishment for conduct detrimental to the team. In this case, the Raiders chose to look the other way. This exposes the flaw in the process.
The league nevertheless has acted, wielding authority that the league arguably doesn’t have. The NFL believes that both the team and the league have the authority to impose fines. The NFL Players Association, per a source with knowledge of the union’s position, believes that the league shouldn’t have imposed the fines. This strongly implies that grievances will be filed -- and there’s a good chance the players will win.
Should they have gone to the event? No. Should the punishment have come from the team not the league? Arguably, yes. Will all of it be battled out in an arbitration setting? Most likely.