refusing to pay the $9 million, forcing Brown to fight for it [url=http://www.patriotsfansclub.com/stephen-gostkowski-jersey/]Stephen Gostkowski Jerseys Stitched[/url] , and arguing that if Brown had disclosed the threatened litigation they never woul

As the clock continues to tick toward the deadline for a 2019 return from tight end Rob Gronkowski Dont’a Hightower Jersey Stitched , Gronk has hinted that he’ll return in 2020 — if the NFL makes one specific change to its rules.Via Stefan Geller of the , Gronkowski called on the NFL to permit players to use CBD, suggesting that, if he’s allowed to use it, he’ll return to action.“I don’t want to be banned from playing the sport I love because I’m using a product that anyone can buy right off the shelf at their local pharmacy,” Gronkowski said at a press conference. “I’m not really sure why it’s banned.”Well, it’s banned because it’s on the list of banned substances. And it continues to be banned because the NFL refuses to make any changes to the list of banned substances without some sort of concession from the union.Apart from any concession that the NFL may receive, Gronkowski has given the NFL an incentive to soften its stance.“I also want to have the option to get back into the game, and if I’m banned next year I can’t Youth Donald Trump Jerseys ,” Gronkowski said.Gronkowski explained that “agony” from physical pain makes it hard to focus during meetings.“I’m not saying you put this on and you’re going to be healed, that it’s a miracle,” Gronkowski said. “But you can apply this and it’ll help manage the pain, and then you can get treatment and it’ll be a lot less stressful to the body.”Here are two important realities to consider regarding Gronkowski’s remarks. First, he has partnered with a CBD company. He’s getting paid by that CBD company to advocate for its use.Second, and more importantly, the NFL’s current rules make it easy to use CBD during football season. If the player is clean during the offseason substance-abuse policy testing window that runs from late April to early August, the player can use CBD at will during training camp, the preseason Donald Trump Jerseys Stitched , the regular season, and the postseason.That reality makes Gronkowski’s not-so-subtle (there’s that phrase again) meaningless. If he really wants to return in 2020, he can use CBD during football season as long as he doesn’t test positive during his annual offseason test. Eleven days ago, the Patriots gave Antonio Brown a $9 million signing bonus. But they’ve yet to actually give him any of it.The contract requires the team to pay the first installment of $5 million on or before Monday, September 23. Per a league source, that payment has not yet been made. Brown will now wait to see whether the money arrives in three days.If it doesn’t, Brown would have to file a grievance seeking payment. Under the labor deal, the team incurs no risk by refusing to pay it. If the Patriots lose, they simply owe him the money Youth Stephen Gostkowski Jerseys , without attorneys’ fees, liquidated damages, or even interest.So would New England’s case to keep the money hold water? Based on the plain terms of the labor deal, Brown did not commit a “forfeitable breach” that would permit recovery of any portion of his signing bonus. That said, the Patriots could attempt to resist payment based on the notion that Brown and his representatives knew that Brown faced a potential civil lawsuit that would trigger NFL scrutiny and a possible suspension.It would be a creative and unprecedented argument, but the Patriots have nothing to lose. That said, if there were any shenanigans associated with Brown’s efforts to gain his freedom from the Raiders — some believe he knew the Patriots were waiting to pounce — the Patriots may not want to give Brown any motivation to blow the whistle. But if the Patriots aren’t concerned about any such collateral consequences, there’s simply nothing to lose by refusing to pay the $9 million, forcing Brown to fight for it Stephen Gostkowski Jerseys Stitched , and arguing that if Brown had disclosed the threatened litigation they never would have signed him.Brown also has a fully-guaranteed base salary of $1.025 million. The same argument that could be made to avoid paying the signing bonus could, in theory, be used to avoid paying the balance of the salary. The team also could attempt to void the remaining guarantees. (Brown’s worst-case scenario would seem to be the recovery of four weeks of game checks as Termination Pay; he wouldn’t get the full year’s worth of salary because he wasn’t on the Week One roster.)If the Patriots decide to take an aggressive stance with Brown, who knows what will happen? Given that he has become anything but a sympathetic figure in recent weeks, an arbitrator could be inclined to find a way to prevent Brown from profiting from his own apparent wrongdoing.