Wording on Rams contract causes concern to NFLPA

According to a post in Pro Football Talk, the NFL Players Association is advising agents to steer clear of Rams contracts in which wording suggests the laws of the state of Missouri – not California – will apply to the length of the contract.

You can read the post here.

The Rams will officially make their move to Los Angeles in April, and for now are still operating out of their Earth City Missouri headquarters. So it stands to reason any contracts negotiated and executed there will reflect Missouri and not California.

And with NFL free agency officially opening last week, the contract negotiations have been fast and furious.

However, sources indicate once the Rams officially land in California all player contracts will fall under California laws. Regardless where or when they were signed. So if there is a workers compensation claim or dispute, it will be settled under California Workers comp rules.

The NFLPA, it seems, is seeking clarity on that point.

The PFT story indicates the contract wording most troubling to the NFLPA reads “The parties hereto acknowledge that this Player Contract has been negotiated and executed in Missouri; that should any dispute, claim or cause of action (collectively ‘dispute’) arise concerning rights or liabilities arising from the relationship between the Player and the Club, the parties hereto agree that the law governing such dispute shall be the law of the State of Missouri. Furthermore, the exclusive jurisdiction for resolving Workers’ Compensation related claims shall be the Division of Workers’ Compensation of Missouri, and the Missouri Workers’ Compensation Act shall govern.”

The NFLPA strongly disagrees, and said in a memo to agents: “We believe that any reference to the state of Missouri is inappropriate since the Rams have relocated to California as evidenced by the fact that they have changed their name on their website to the Los Angeles Rams, are prepared to hold off-season workouts and training camp in California, and will practice and play their home games in California in 2016.”

It’s likely just a matter of clarification and understanding the laws at this point, but until then you wonder if the Rams free agency plans will be impeded.