The Collective Bargaining Agreement Appeals Panel issued a decision in the Jonathan Fanene matter Thursday, according to documents I've obtained.
It upheld the ruling that Fanene made "inaccurate and incomplete disclosures of his medical condition" during a pre-employment physical "failing to disclose his regular use and need for painkilling medication to practice and play."
In one memo which I obtained, Senior Vice President of Labor Litigation & Policy Dennis Curran stated, "Accordingly, if the Club prevails at the merits hearing, it may be able to recover some or all of the signing bonus paid to the player as a remedy for the player having made material misrepresentations in the course of negotiating the Player Contract."
The Pats can claim Fanene's signing bonus, which was $3.85 million, was paid as a result of fraud.
Only $2.5 million of the bonus was paid out, while the rest of Fanene's bonus was deferred until this year. That figure, which would net against a future cap, is what the team will likely see if the NFL proves the Patriots' case.
The panel's entire opinion can be downloaded here.
Follow Ian Rapoport on Twitter @RapSheet.
