Grievance claims Patriots put player’s health at risk to recover money

The NFL Players Association has filed a grievance against the New England Patriots on behalf of former defensive end Jonathan Fanene, alleging that the team altered Fanene’s medical treatment in an attempt to recover signing bonus money.

The grievance letter, which was obtained by the Washington Post, cites an email from former Patriots team doctor Thomas Gill that allegedly shows Gill telling Pats owner Robert Kraft that he was “trying to put together a case” that would get Fanene to return $3.85 million after he suffered a knee injury in 2012.

The letter also claims that Patriots coach Bill Belichick ordered Gill to delay surgery on Fanene’s knee while the team tried to convince Fanene to retire, which would result in him giving up his $3.85 million bonus.

Gill told the Washington Post on Thursday that he put the player’s health ahead of the oganization’s financial concerns. He stepped down in April 2014 and insisted his resignation had nothing to do with the grievance.

“Guys always know that they are treated as a patient and not as a player, and that’s always something that I was very proud of during my tenure,” he said.

Fanene, who was 30 at the time, signed with the Patriots during the 2012 offseason and injured his knee before ever appearing in a game. The Patriots released him for “failure to disclose physical condition,” which is a claim that allows teams to recoup bonuses if proven to be true.

“It just didn’t work out,” Belichick said at the time. “Nothing to add other than that, it just didn’t work out.”

Gill said the email he wrote to Kraft about “trying to put together a case” was taken out of context.

H/T Boston Globe