La’el Collins suspension continues to give fabric to cut. After serving three of his five suspension games, the Cowboys left tackler is looking for a way to reduce the penalty and return to action soon. And to do so, he has taken legal action against the NFL.
This Wednesday it was learned that Peter Schaffer, Collins’ agent, filed a lawsuit against the NFL and its commissioner Roger Goodell before the Collin County court in Texas. In that lawsuit, the representative seeks to obtain a restraining order and two injunctions that can end the suspension. This was reported by Calvin Watkins, a reporter for the Dallas Morning News.
Cowboys RT La’el Collins’ reps file a temporary restraining order and temporary injunction in Colin County District Court to reduce his five game suspension from the NFL.
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) October 6, 2021
It is worth remembering that La’el Collins was suspended on September 10 for five games, all without playing or receiving a salary. This NFL action was due to the offensive lineman violating league policies regarding the use of prohibited substances. In detail, Collins apparently did not attend a drug test. Reports even indicate that he tried to bribe a supervisor of said tests.
This incident has been going on since February 2020, when Collins received a letter from the NFL notifying him of a possible four-game suspension. Since then, Collins began an appeals process to reduce the penalty to an eight-game fine, without requiring suspension.
However, things got complicated. La’el Collins did not attend a drug session, but the player alleges that the absences were justified. One of them occurred when the player, with the team’s permission, traveled to Arizona for the funeral of a relative. The other occurred on November 24, 2020 when coach Markus Paul collapsed at the team’s facility and coach Mike McCarthy sent all the players home that day.
Now, Collins is exercising his right to reduce or even overturn the suspension imposed by the NFL. According to his agent Peter Schaffer, the three games he missed have cost him about $ 258,000 of his base salary of $ 1.55 million. It is worth saying that the incident with Collins is somewhat complex, and the player seems to have arguments with which to defend himself.
What arguments does Collins’ claim have?
According to a report by Mike Florio of NBC Pro Football Talk, La’el Collins’s lawsuit focuses on two key points.
First, it is alleged that the NFL’s policy on substance abuse does not allow suspensions for not attending drug tests. This, according to the report, according to the status of the policies in 2020. In fact, these infractions only involve financial fines and not sports suspensions like the one imposed on Collins.
Second, Collins alleges that the league misinterpreted the referee during the regulation process, understanding that the player had previously been suspended for four games. In fact, the new suspension came about because of this. And the truth is that Collins had never been suspended until now.
At the moment, the demand made by the representative of Collins has already received a response from the league. In a statement, the NFL said the lawsuit is without merit. Therefore, it will be up to the court to decide this case. Reports even indicate that the league will take this case before a federal court to decide on the matter.
Two games remain on Cowboys RT La’el Collins’ suspension. He has been at team facility in recent weeks, but despite lawsuit, team plans for Terence Steele to start again in his place Sunday vs. Giants.
In a statement, NFL calls suit “meritless.” Court to decide. https://t.co/PLIZ19FfFo pic.twitter.com/tQLBpa4BT9
– Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) October 6, 2021
In an interesting plot twist, La’el Collins’ lawsuit has been removed to the ED Texas federal court, the home of one Amos Mazzant III, the federal judge who granted Ezekiel Elliott a preliminary injunction blocking the NFL from suspending him in 2017. No judge assigned as of yet. https://t.co/bEVdHl1wTr
— Daniel Wallach (@WALLACHLEGAL) October 7, 2021
This lawsuit from Collins seems to come a bit late, at least for sporting purposes. These processes are not resolved quickly, and it would be unlikely that he will be able to play the two games that remain to be lost: against the Giants this Sunday, and against the Patriots next Sunday, October 17. In fact, already the Cowboys are counting on Terence Steele as the starting tackle for this week.
The details that have come to light about the La’el Collins case suggest that possible misunderstandings occurred. This, in large part, seeing that the player and his representatives have not given their arm to twist in this matter. For now, it remains to be seen how this issue is resolved, and whether Collins will eventually return to action early.
