Sports Illustrated Mentions CPR in Story About Challenge to WNBA Player Suspension

July 19, 2019

In "Breaking Down What to Expect After Riquna William's 10-Game Suspension by the WNBA," Sports Illustrated covered the suspension by the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) of Los Angeles Sparks guard Riquna Williams for alleged violations of the WNBA's personal conduct policy. 

As the article explained, the Women’s National Basketball Players’ Association (WNBPA) union is challenging the suspension through the grievance process established during collective bargaining, which provides that both the WNBA's decision to suspend Williams and the league's decision to suspend for ten games will be reviewed by a neutral arbitrator who is jointly selected by the WNBPA and the WNBA.

According to Sports Illustrated, the collective bargaining agreement provides that, if the two sides cannot agree on an arbitrator, they will jointly request the assistance of the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution, which will submit 11 names for the parties to consider and ultimately name an arbitrator if the parties are still not able to agree.

Arbitration is a flexible process that can be shaped to meet the parties’ specific needs via contract. For assistance finding or crafting dispute resolution clauses that are right for you, see CPR's Model Clauses and other resources HERE. To learn more about CPR’s award-winning rules and how to incorporate them into your contracts, click HERE.