Darrelle Revis, a Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinee and former New England Patriots Super Bowl champion, released a statement criticizing Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) regarding recent developments involving Micah Parsons. Revis expressed concern over Jones’s attempt to negotiate directly with Parsons without the presence of the player’s agent, David Mulugheta. Such actions are not permitted under the league’s collective bargaining agreement.
Jones has stated that he believed he had reached a handshake agreement with Parsons, despite Mulugheta’s absence from discussions. Revis commented on this situation in his statement, saying: “As players, after every game we don’t get a choice. We’re put in front of the media and held accountable. Win or lose, missed tackle or game-saving play, it doesn’t matter — we have to answer. That’s part of the job. And that’s why it’s unacceptable to see our union leadership avoid that same responsibility now.(…) My question last week about a recent ESPN article remains unanswered, and now Jerry Jones feels comfortable publicly humiliating our union. I don’t know if filing a grievance is necessarily the right battle at this moment, since the fine to him under the CBA amounts to pennies.(…) But doing nothing is not an option.(…) At the very least, the NFLPA should be saying it does not condone what Jerry is doing, that all options are on the table, and reminding players that if ownership ever tries to deal with them directly while represented, they should contact their agent and the union immediately.(…) The bigger issue is respect. Jerry’s actions show that owners have no problem taking advantage of us, and when our union fails to respond, it sends the message that they’ll be able to do the same in the next CBA negotiations if the current leadership remains in place.(…) Every player — past, present, and future — deserves a union they can trust to protect and support them.”
Revis called for action from NFLPA leaders before future collective bargaining agreement negotiations take place.
Jones has not issued any public response following Revis’s remarks.
The situation comes ahead of important talks regarding league labor agreements.
