Gregg Jarrett: Trump is correct, NFL teams can legally fire players for their conductFox News, Sep 25, 2017, Gregg Jarrett
The Constitution’s freedom of expression applies only to government action, not private businesses.
The First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech.” It says nothing about private action or reaction. Thus, it is a public misconception that free speech or expression extends to the workplace. It does not, as the U.S. Supreme Court has consistently ruled.
Any business, as long as it is not connected to the government, is entitled to fire an employee for his or her speech and conduct within the workplace. The NFL and its teams are privately owned. They are not constrained by the principles of the First Amendment.
The Player ContractBut beyond the Constitution, contract law allows any NFL team to terminate any player for behavior it deems to be injurious to the organization or the league.
Every professional player must sign the standard NFL player contract. In it, the player promises as follows:
“To conduct himself on and off the field with appropriate recognition of the fact that the success of professional football depends largely on public respect for and approval of those associated with the game” (Paragraph 2). “ If player has engaged in personal conduct reasonably judged by the Club to adversely affect or reflect on the Club, then the Club may terminate this contract” (Paragraph 11).
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But that is not all. The collective bargaining agreement negotiated by the players’ union and approved by the players themselves authorizes suspension or termination “
for conduct detrimental to the integrity of, or public confidence in, the game of professional football” (Article 46).Read more:
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/09/25/gregg-jarrett-trump-is-correct-nfl-teams-can-legally-fire-players-for-their-conduct.html
