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If I remember correctly, there is a coaches' union, but at the time (of Bountygate), Payton & Belichick were the only coaches not in the union... mind you this was what I read, or what was reported at the time. This was the reason that Payton didn't fight the suspension, because he didn't have that option like Vilma did ❤.Those suspensions got overturned when Tagliabue was brought in as an independent arbiter. Tags found no evidence to support the notion that the players were doing anything intentionally harmful. I think only hargrove’s wasn’t and I think that was because he wasn’t currently on a team - though my memory might be shaky on that.
Payton couldn’t get his overturned because the NFL coaches don’t have a union to fight on their behalf and (I think) they are viewed as independent contractors.