New England Patriots punter Jake Bailey has filed a grievance against the team for putting him on the reserve/suspension list, according to his agent, Doug Hendrickson.
This comes five months after the Patriots made Bailey one of the top-three highest-paid punters in the NFL. He had been dealing with a back injury that initially had him on injured reserve, but he missed the return window.
It was then revealed on Friday that Bailey, along with rookie cornerback Jack Jones, were both put on the reserve/suspension list on December 31. Players on that list don’t count against the roster limit, but they also forfeit game checks. Not only would Bailey’s last two game checks be in jeopardy, but the move could also void the guaranteed $6.5 million on his contract.
It’s a huge issue.
Doug Hendrickson, Bailey’s agent, released a statement on Saturday, via Mike Reiss, claiming the punter had filed a grievance against the Patriots.
“While Jake Bailey was on IR he never missed a single treatment, meeting, or practice,” Hendrickson’s statement read. “He was hoping to come off IR to play last weekend, but Jake was informed he was being suspended these last two games. This comes as a surprise given his full participation during injury reserve. We have filed a grievance to fight this unknown suspension.”
A statement from Jake Bailey’s agent, Doug Hendrickson, on behalf of Bailey: pic.twitter.com/5SQQfliX7z
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) January 7, 2023
Bailey has struggled this season, along with current Patriots starter Michael Palardy, but it doesn’t look like he’s willing to go down without a fight. This obviously isn’t the sort of drama the Patriots need hanging overhead before Sunday’s season finale against a motivated Buffalo Bills team.
