The Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys will meet before a league arbitrator on May 10 to appeal the salary cap penalties levied against them by the NFL. The arbitration hearing will take place before league system arbitrator Stephen Burbank at a location of his choosing.
Both teams were accused of abusing the uncapped 2010 season to front-load large contracts for the likes of Albert Haynesworth and DeAngelo Hall in Washington's case, and Miles Austin in Dallas's case. The Redskins were docked $36 million in cap space, applied over the upcoming season and next. The Cowboys had $10 million taken out of their payroll. The teams argue that at the time there were no rules against the procedure.
League owners voted 29-2 (the Redskins and Cowboys voted against, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers abstained) in March to move forward with the penalties. Competitors argued that the large contracts paid to just a few players created a ripple effect that negatively impacted teams. Austin's big contract drove the franchise tag figure for wide receivers from $9.5 million in 2010 to $11.3 million in 2011, for example, making it very difficult for the San Diego Chargers to work out a long term deal with Vincent Jackson.
Keep up with the latest developments with our Redskins, Cowboys Salary Cap StoryStream. For more on the Cowboys, visit SB Nation's Blogging The Boys and SB Nation Dallas. And for more on the Redskins, check out Hogs Haven and SB Nation DC.