Ashley Lelie has won Round 1.
An outside arbitrator ruled in favor of the former Denver receiver in his grievance against the team, it was announced today.
As a result the Broncos owe Lelie $220,000 in past-due money. Lelie argued he was forced into signing a document that he would forego owed monies in order to be traded to Atlanta in August.
Attorneys for the Broncos and NFL, and Lelie and the players’ association argued Nov. 6 to the special master.
“It feels good to have that money back in my pocket,” Lelie said today after the Falcons’ practice. “To lose that much money, cash, after taxes, is kind of tough, so it feels good to have that back in my pocket.”
While Lelie won his grievance, the Broncos grievance will be heard in the coming weeks. That grievance is based on a forfeited bonus and fines from Lelie’s holdout before the Aug. 23 trade.
Lelie amassed $378,000 in fines for missing training camp; $11,000 for missing minicamp; and by not going to the offseason workout program, Lelie gave up a $100,000 bonus. Denver is expected to try to recoup the fine money and a portion of Lelie’s his original $3.3 million signing bonus. The total is expected to be more than $1 million.
“I’m not out of the woods yet,” Lelie said. “Most importantly, I’ve got to concentrate on football. Hopefully, my agent and attorney will help me out with the rest.”
He was dealt to the Falcons in a three-way trade with Washington, who received running back T.J. Duckett. The Broncos will receive draft picks to be determined based on a complicated draft choice chart.
Bill Williamson can be reached at 303-954-1262 or bwilliamson@denverpost.com.
