Union investigating Jaguars' injury rule

Can a coach threaten a player with a hefty fine if he talks publicly about injuries?

The Jacksonville Jaguars say they can. Coach Mike Mularkey told the Florida-Times Union that the team will fine any player $10,000 if they talk publicly about injuries. It is, to say the least, an extreme move.

The union agrees and is looking into the situation, according to a source. It's possible the union may fight the Jaguars on this, a source explained. From what I can tell, there is a great deal of anger in the locker room about this. Word has already spread to union reps across the sport and they believe the Jaguars are acting with great extremism.

But there's a catch to union opposition. Anything the union would fight would have to be on a case-by-case basis. The collective bargaining agreement states penalties have to be "unreasonable" for the union to act.

The union may think the fine is unreasonable but the NFL might not. Then the union would have to decide if it wants to fight.

But a union investigation is ongoing and this could get interesting.