The NFLPA has won another grievance against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Running back Leonard Fournette confirmed to reporters Wednesday he won a grievance against the Jaguars to get a $99,000 fine rescinded, per the Associated Press' Mark Long. The fine, per Long, stemmed from executive VP of football operations Tom Coughlin's disdain for Fournette's conduct while he was inactive for the team's 2018 finale, during which Fournette spent the game sitting on the team's bench, Long added.
The grievance decision is the second won by the NFLPA on behalf of its members (Fournette) over the Jaguars in three days. The union told its members Monday it won a grievance over the Jaguars' requirement for injured players to rehab and see doctors at the team facility during the offseason.
Fournette has had his share of on- and off-field issues while with the Jaguars, but this decision in close proximity of another unrelated to him suggests a rigid environment in which players seem to bristle at the desires of the front office. Jaguars cornerback A.J. Bouye expounded on that notion while speaking with reporters Wednesday.
"In the offseason, you have players from other leagues, they come and ask me about the fines, like, 'is it true y'all getting fined for stuff like this?'" Bouye said. "They laugh at us because they think that I'm lying. Now that stuff like this is coming out, it's true, we got fined for it.
"Maybe we'll fix it ahead of time, but one thing I can say: We get fined here, we learn from it and we try to avoid it from here on out."
Bouye himself went on to explain that he too has been the subject of one fine during his time in Jacksonville, but he described the fine, which came from him opting to try something different than what the team wanted, as "just miscommunication." Bouye added he learned he should do what the team asks of him, even if he knows it won't benefit him, in order to avoid being fined.
The NFLPA noted in a memo to its members Monday more than 25 percent of grievances filed league-wide have been in relation to players' issues with the Jaguars. With two becoming public in three days, that detail now seems more believable.
