The NBA sent a memo to all 30 teams last summer instructing any team considering signing one of two players that had been accused of sexual assault or domestic assault.

Teams were told about the allegations and that the players could face discipline from the league even though they were not members of the NBA at the time of the incident.

The National Basketball Players Association filed an arbitration claim arguing that the memo had a chilling effect, and that the league had overstepped its bounds. The arbitrator agreed with the union that the league could not fine or suspend the players going forward based on prior allegations.

The NBA sent a follow-up memo clarifying that after the ruling.

The union shared the results of the arbitration at seminars with player agents in recent weeks.

In the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement, the league can issue discipline before a legal resolution is reached. The CBA also calls for the creation of a "policy committee" composed of league and union representatives, plus independent experts, to oversee treatment for players who have been subject to discipline or criminally convicted.