Overview
- Commissioner Jessica Berman vetoed Washington’s proposed contract that sources say averaged more than $1 million per year, with the league citing the deal’s structure as violating the spirit of competition rules and amounting to salary-cap circumvention.
- The NWSLPA says the rejection infringes Rodman’s free agency rights and violates multiple CBA clauses, asserting the agreement fits within current rules and projected team cap calculations.
- League officials reiterated they want to keep top players in the NWSL and will use every lever available within existing rules to retain Rodman.
- Context from the CBA includes a rising team salary cap through 2030 and no individual maximum salary, with arguments centering on backloaded pay tied to anticipated revenue growth and the league’s one-per-year contract buyout provision.
- Rodman remains a free agent drawing interest from elite European clubs and DC Power, and as a single-entity league the NWSL holds player contracts even as the dispute moves through the grievance process.