The NFLPA is looking to overturn last week's trade of Terrell Owens from San Francisco to Baltimore.
The NFL Players Association plans to file paperwork this week in an attempt to rescind Terrell Owens' trade from the San Francisco 49ers to the Baltimore Ravens.
Gene Upshaw, executive director of the NFL players union, said Sunday he has informed Harold Henderson, the league's executive vice president for labor relations, of his intention to try to undo the Pro Bowl wide receiver's trade.
Upshaw said that if the matter can't be resolved, the union will ask Stephen Burbank, who is in charge of settling disputes regarding the NFL's collective bargaining agreement, to have Owens' contract voided so he can be declared a free agent.
Upshaw declined to comment further.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello confirmed that Henderson has spoken to Upshaw about the case but said there has been no resolution.
The Washington Post first reported the players' association's effort to have the trade rescinded on Sunday.
Owens said in an interview with ESPN on Friday that he wants to play for the Philadelphia Eagles, who are desperate for No. 1 receiver.
Owens' agent, David Joseph, did not immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press on Sunday.
The Ravens say they expect Owens to wear their uniform this season. Owens is scheduled to report Monday for a physical.
"We made a trade that was OK'd by the NFL," Ravens spokesman Chad Steele said Sunday. "We have a valid contract with Terrell and we expect him to play for the Ravens this season."
The Eagles reportedly agreed to a contract with Owens that included a signing bonus believed to be worth about $10 million. But Owens was traded Thursday to the Ravens for a second-round pick before Philadelphia could work out a trade with the 49ers.
Owens failed to become a free agent last month when he missed a deadline to void the final three seasons of his contract. Joseph filed a grievance with the NFL Management Council through the players' union in an effort to resolve that matter.
Owens caught 80 passes for 1,102 yards and nine touchdowns last season - his lowest totals since 1999. He has been selected to the last four Pro Bowls but has feuded with teammates, coaches, the 49ers' front office and the media.
Owens is due to make $17.7 million in base salary over the next three seasons, including $5.3 million next year -- a relative bargain for one of the NFL's best receivers.
He has spent all eight of his NFL seasons with the 49ers, who drafted him in the third round in 1996. He and Indianapolis' Marvin Harrison are the only receivers with more than 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns over the past four seasons.
Owens is known for a series of on-field celebrations and off-field conflicts. Two years ago, he pulled out a pen and signed a ball after scoring a touchdown in Seattle. He wasn't fined for the move but was chastised by commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who said he would be disciplined for any future stunts.
Source: AP
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