The Jaguars hired Tom Coughlin to be their executive vice president of football operations on Jan. 9.
Since then, the NFL Players Association is known to have begun at least two separate inquiries related to the club’s front-office activity, the latest of which reportedly involves an email Coughlin sent to several players.
According to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union, Coughlin requested via email for certain players under contract to report for a physical earlier this month. The union is looking into the offseason request, specifically in regard to its allowance under the collective bargaining agreement.
A Jaguars and NFL spokesman both declined comment when reached by PFT.
This grievance from the NFL Players Association is not a total surprise, having been foreshadowed earlier this month. The NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported on March 2 there was discontent among agents and the union at the NFL Scouting Combine over the Jaguars requiring players without medical clearance to rehab at the facility four days a week.
Coughlin’s email similarly involves a request of injured players. Per O’Halloran, player agents advised their clients to take the team’s physical as the union continued to explore the matter.
Earlier this off-season, former Jaguars defensive end Jared Odrick filed a $5.5 million grievance against the club, seeking to recoup guaranteed money. Per Tom Pelissero of USA Today, the Jaguars contend Odrick “voided [the] guarantees by refusing checkups during injury rehab.” Odrick’s grievance has yet to be resolved, a source said Friday.
Any fallout related to Odrick’s situation is expected to be contained within the two parties.
If the Jaguars’ activity related to injured players is deemed a CBA violation, however, possible punishment could involve the forfeiture of a designated number of practices this spring.