NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement

Article 14
Enforcement of the Salary Cap and Rookie Compensation Pool

Section 6
Sanctions

(a)

Players and Agents. In the event that the System Arbitrator finds a violation of Subsections 1(a) or 1(b) of this Article, for each such violation: (i) (1) the System Arbitrator may impose a fine of up to $500,000 on any player or player agent found to have committed such violation, and (2) shall, unless the parties to this Agreement otherwise agree, order the player to disgorge any undisclosed compensation found to have been paid in violation of Section 1 of this Article unless the player establishes by a preponderance of the evidence that he was unaware of the violation; and (ii) the Commissioner shall be authorized to void any Player Contract(s) that was (or were) the direct cause of such violation.

(b)

Clubs. In the event that the System Arbitrator finds a violation of Subsection 1(a) of this Article, for each such violation, the Commissioner shall be authorized to: (i) impose a fine of up to $6,500,000, payable to the NFL, upon any Club found to have committed such violation; (ii) order the forfeiture of up to a maximum of two draft choices (without limitation as to round) by the Club found to have committed such violation; (iii) impose a fine of up to $500,000 on any Club executive or other Club personnel found to have committed such violation; and/or (iv) suspend for up to one year any Club executive or other Club personnel found to have committed such violation. In the event that the System Arbitrator finds a violation of Subsection 1(b) of this Article, for each such violation, the System Arbitrator may: (i) impose a fine of up to $6,500,000, payable to the NFL, upon any Club found to have committed such violation; and (ii) impose a fine of up to $500,000 on any Club executive or other Club personnel found to have committed such violation. In addition, in the event that the System Arbitrator finds a violation of Subsection 1(b) of this Article, for each such violation, the Commissioner (i) shall be authorized to order the forfeiture of up to a maximum of two Draft choices (without limitation as to round) by the Club found to have committed such violation; and (ii) shall, unless the parties agree otherwise, suspend for up to one year any Club executive or other Club personnel found to have committed such violation. In imposing sanctions pursuant to the immediately preceding sentence, the Commissioner shall apply the same standards that he would apply in the event of a violation of Subsection 1(a), taking into account the sanctions, if any, imposed by the System Arbitrator. In agreeing to the two preceding sentences, the parties have not waived or affected their respective positions as to whether the Commissioner does or does not have the authority to impose discipline for such violations against any Club, Club executive, or other Club personnel greater than the sanctions set forth in this Article, and the preceding two sentences shall not be considered in any resolution of that issue. For purposes of this Subsection 6(b), the term “Club personnel” shall not include players.

(c)

Subject to the next to last sentence of Subsection 6(b) above, the sanctions set forth in Subsections 6(a) and 6(b) above shall be the sole penalties under this Agreement for conduct in violation of Section 1 of this Article or Sections 1–3 of Article 18, and each of the sanctions set forth in Subsections 6(a) or 6(b) above may not be imposed more than once on the same person or Club for the same conduct, even if such conduct constitutes a violation of both Section 1 of this Article and Sections 1–3 of Article 18. All fines collected from players and agents, and all disgorged compensation collected from players pursuant to this Section 6, shall be contributed and allocated as prescribed in Article 46, Section 5(c). For each League Year after the 2011 League Year, each of the maximum fines set forth in this Section 6 shall be adjusted by the same percentage as the change in Projected AR for that League Year as compared to the Projected AR for the prior League Year (up to a maximum of ten percent (10%) per League Year). (d) The sanctions set forth in Sections 6(a) and 6(b) above shall not be implemented until the conclusion of any appeals thereof.