BREAKING NEWS: NFLPA decertifies........

[stillers4me]

Yeah, these things never get settled until fear sets in. And believe me it will soon for both sides. All these UFA's and players who thought they'd be reupping their contract this offseason will be missing that signing bonus money they were expecting. And the owners are going to be hearing it from the networks, and their sponsors, and from their coaches and GM's who need to map out a direction for the offseason. Plus many of these guys have stadium debt to consider.

Anyway I think the best case sceniaro would be an early to mid April settlement. Falling short of that I could see things dragging out until early to mid June. \

If it gets past June, we're going to miss games.

My prediction, a new CBA will be reached by mid May.

I hope you're right, Zu. We have to keep in mind that everything being said on the NFL Network is being controlled by the NFL itself. So they are spinning it all their way. and BSPN....need I say more?

This just has to break Dan Rooney's heart to see this happen. He is a players owner and worked so hard to get that last agreement. It wouldn't surprise me that he saw this whole mess years ago.....he knew the league was planning to financially weather a lockout with those TV contracts and he took the position in Ireland because he just couldn't stomach being apart of it all. Nope...wouldn't surpsrise me abit.

[oneforthetoe]

I hope you're right, Zu. We have to keep in mind that everything being said on the NFL Network is being controlled by the NFL itself. So they are spinning it all their way. and BSPN....need I say more?

This just has to break Dan Rooney's heart to see this happen. He is a players owner and worked so hard to get that last agreement. It wouldn't surprise me that he saw this whole mess years ago.....he knew the league was planning to financially weather a lockout with those TV contracts and he took the position in Ireland because he just couldn't stomach being apart of it all. Nope...wouldn't surpsrise me abit.

Not trying to take a shot at you stillers4me, but you seem extremely naive about the labor dispute and the Rooneys. Yes, they are player friendly owners, but they have always been "League Guys." Dan Rooney's success in helping settle labor disputes over the years has to do with the fact that he is respected by the players and his fellow owners. Would he really have the respect of the other owners if he wasn't a team guy?

More specifically, on the labor dispute here is the most recent comment by Art in another thread:


http://www.steelersuniverse.com/foru...xpects-lockout

"When we got [an] extension last week I thought maybe we'd get something done. Unfortunately I think the players chose to throw everything into the lawyers' hands at this point and unfortunately that's where we're going to be for some time period."

So, if you really want to vilify the other owners, all the while believing that the Rooney's are outsiders who are willing to foolishly concede to the players demands, more power to you. But, I think the reality is much different.

[vader29]

Email from Goodell:

Dear NFL Fan,

When I wrote to you last on behalf of the NFL, we promised you that we would work tirelessly to find a collectively bargained solution to our differences with the players' union. Subsequent to that letter to you, we agreed that the fastest way to a fair agreement was for everyone to work together through a mediation process. For the last three weeks I have personally attended every session of mediation, which is a process our clubs sincerely believe in.

Unfortunately, I have to tell you that earlier today the players' union walked away from mediation and collective bargaining and has initiated litigation against the clubs. In an effort to get a fair agreement now, our clubs offered a deal today that was, among other things, designed to have no adverse financial impact on veteran players in the early years, and would have met the players’ financial demands in the latter years of the agreement.

The proposal we made included an offer to narrow the player compensation gap that existed in the negotiations by splitting the difference; guarantee a reallocation of savings from first-round rookies to veterans and retirees without negatively affecting compensation for rounds 2-7; no compensation reduction for veterans; implement new year-round health and safety rules; retain the current 16-4 season format for at least two years with any subsequent changes subject to the approval of the league and union; and establish a new legacy fund for retired players ($82 million contributed by the owners over the next two years).

It was a deal that offered compromise, and would have ensured the well-being of our players and guaranteed the long-term future for the fans of the great game we all love so much. It was a deal where everyone would prosper.

We remain committed to collective bargaining and the federal mediation process until an agreement is reached, and call on the union to return to negotiations immediately. NFL players, clubs, and fans want an agreement. The only place it can be reached is at the bargaining table.

While we are disappointed with the union's actions, we remain steadfastly committed to reaching an agreement that serves the best interest of NFL players, clubs and fans, and thank you for your continued support of our League. First and foremost it is your passion for the game that drives us all, and we will not lose sight of this as we continue to work for a deal that works for everyone.



Yours,
Roger Goodell

[oneforthetoe]

I think the most informative article I have read on the coming storm:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...html?eref=sihp

The NFL will immediately file a grievance with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in an attempt to block the decertification. The NFL will argue that the NFLPA is acting in bad faith and that the NFLPA's true goal is to get the NFL exposed to antitrust litigation as a way of grabbing owners' money..............

[Chidi29]

What is it about DeMaurice Smith's face that makes me want to punch it? Seriously, every picture I see of him I think, "I'd really like to punch him in the face."

Am I alone in this?

+one million

I can't stand him either. He is the root cause for this outcome.

[tube517]

Bleh. Where are my porn videos?

[86WARD]

motherfuckers...

[86WARD]

Email from Goodell:

Dear NFL Fan,

When I wrote to you last on behalf of the NFL, we promised you that we would work tirelessly to find a collectively bargained solution to our differences with the players' union. Subsequent to that letter to you, we agreed that the fastest way to a fair agreement was for everyone to work together through a mediation process. For the last three weeks I have personally attended every session of mediation, which is a process our clubs sincerely believe in.

Unfortunately, I have to tell you that earlier today the players' union walked away from mediation and collective bargaining and has initiated litigation against the clubs. In an effort to get a fair agreement now, our clubs offered a deal today that was, among other things, designed to have no adverse financial impact on veteran players in the early years, and would have met the players’ financial demands in the latter years of the agreement.

The proposal we made included an offer to narrow the player compensation gap that existed in the negotiations by splitting the difference; guarantee a reallocation of savings from first-round rookies to veterans and retirees without negatively affecting compensation for rounds 2-7; no compensation reduction for veterans; implement new year-round health and safety rules; retain the current 16-4 season format for at least two years with any subsequent changes subject to the approval of the league and union; and establish a new legacy fund for retired players ($82 million contributed by the owners over the next two years).

It was a deal that offered compromise, and would have ensured the well-being of our players and guaranteed the long-term future for the fans of the great game we all love so much. It was a deal where everyone would prosper.

We remain committed to collective bargaining and the federal mediation process until an agreement is reached, and call on the union to return to negotiations immediately. NFL players, clubs, and fans want an agreement. The only place it can be reached is at the bargaining table.

While we are disappointed with the union's actions, we remain steadfastly committed to reaching an agreement that serves the best interest of NFL players, clubs and fans, and thank you for your continued support of our League. First and foremost it is your passion for the game that drives us all, and we will not lose sight of this as we continue to work for a deal that works for everyone.



Yours,
Roger Goodell

Fuck that fake letter...

[stillers4me]

Fuck that fake letter...

Bingo. If it was such a great deal, the players would have taken it. They didn't decertify for shits and giggles. I don't have to like it, I just hope it all gets worked out in time for a season.

[X-Terminator]

Truthfully, did anyone really not see this coming?

Not me. I saw it coming a mile away, given the two assholes involved in the negotiating process. Goodell is just the bigger asshole of the two.

[tube517]

I saw the signature and didn't even read it. So sick of Goodhell. I don't care what role he did or did not have in this. He is the single worst commissioner in my lifetime.

Fuck that fake letter...

[Bluecoat96]

meh...f*ck 'em all. I have NO sympathy for either side.

[fansince'76]

meh...f*ck 'em all. I have NO sympathy for either side.

This.

[fansince'76]

+one million

I can't stand him either. He is the root cause for this outcome.

I don't think the owners were all that much interested in "compromise" until the recent ruling by Doty in regards to the TV money either. There really is no good guy in this dispute.

[oneforthetoe]

I don't think the owners were all that much interested in "compromise" until the recent ruling by Doty in regards to the TV money either. There really is no good guy in this dispute.

I agree with that. And honestly, there really is no true bad guy unless and until we start missing games. I, and I think many other fans, are frustrated and worried because of what could be (losing part or all of next season). But truly, at the moment, it is just a labor dispute that doesn't really affect me at this point ..... yet. Now, once games are to begin then the fu to all involved comes out.

[steelerdude15]

Let the law handle this.

[Bluecoat96]

When "minimum wage" for a player on an active roster is well over $300,000- both sides can go jump in a lake. Hell...even practice squad players make about double what I do. wah...wah..wah. My heart goes out to the behind the scenes employees that make an average man's salaries. They will suffer...not the owners, or the players. If any player suffers during the lock-out, it's their own damn fault.

[JonM229]

When "minimum wage" for a player on an active roster is well over $300,000- both sides can go jump in a lake. Hell...even practice squad players make about double what I do. wah...wah..wah. My heart goes out to the behind the scenes employees that make an average man's salaries. They will suffer...not the owners, or the players. If any player suffers during the lock-out, it's their own damn fault.

From Don Banks' latest column:

Just last week, I was left speechless when I heard of Chiefs guard Brian Waters' plans to start an emergency fund to help the younger, fringe NFL players who would be "most vulnerable'' if a lockout starts eating away into the 2011 regular-season game checks. Waters said some young players make ends meet by counting on those offseason workout checks and training camp stipends that teams pay out, and he wants the game's highest-paid players to pitch in and help subsidize them if a lockout lingers.

Really? Does Waters or any other NFL player really believe that the vast amount of working Americans can relate to or feel sympathy for pro athletes making more than $300,000 annually, but who need help paying for "health care and day-to-day expenses,'' as Waters put it? Because given the very real union battles that are being fought around this country these days, for a lot less money than that, I don't know how much the plight of financially strapped second- and third-year NFL veterans is really going to resonate with the public.

[86WARD]

Lol @ people who are getting mad at the players. You do realize this is a lockout and not a strike right? The players haven't asked for one red cent and have offered to give money to the owners without seeing the books. They didn't say no to the billion either... They asked to see the books first. This would've been much, much, MUCH closer to being done had the owners opened the books from the get go.

[Bluecoat96]

Lol @ people who are getting mad at the players. You do realize this is a lockout and not a strike right? The players haven't asked for one red cent and have offered to give money to the owners without seeing the books. They didn't say no to the billion either... They asked to see the books first. This would've been much, much, MUCH closer to being done had the owners opened the books from the get go.

I realize perfectly well that it's a lockout, and not a strike. I do believe that when it boils down to it though, we're dealing with greed....on both sides. I also believe that ownership shouldn't have to be financially transparent with their employees. We're not dealing with a public entity, like a school district where any taxpayer or employee can look for financial records. This is a private business....albeit a very popular private business.

[tube517]

I agree w/this too. I'm sick of watching this unfold for the third time in nearly 30 years. Have a lockout and watch more money slip away from your greedy little fingers.

meh...f*ck 'em all. I have NO sympathy for either side.

[86WARD]

Both sides are to blame. But if the owners are asking for a billion dollars and crying a river that they are losing money, yet opening stadiums, paying millions to players (which no one says they have to do...), etc., at least open the books and prove it and go from there. It's a great starting point. Which neither side has gotten to yet.

[86WARD]

THe whole thing is a joke. A joke that they took an extended lunch Thursday to wait for Pat Bowlen and Mike Brown to arrive. A joke that they won't open their books, yet, they ask for a billion dollars. A joke that the "gag Order" just went away. A joke that they threw an extension out there to make people believe there was a chance. They knew the whole time there was no chance a deal would get done. A joke that during a Tsunami where people are dying, Drew Brees is worried about tweeting that the players union is fighting for the lives at the eleventh hour. Just shut the fuck up and get in the room and make it happen. Neither side took t seriously.

[Chidi29]

I don't think the owners were all that much interested in "compromise" until the recent ruling by Doty in regards to the TV money either. There really is no good guy in this dispute.

I don't mind either side using leverage, but when the union goes ahead and does this, take it to the courts, I'm pretty upset.

It seemed that another extension was possible. Which would have led to more compromise. But the union wouldn't let it happen.

[Chidi29]

Both sides are to blame. But if the owners are asking for a billion dollars and crying a river that they are losing money, yet opening stadiums, paying millions to players (which no one says they have to do...), etc., at least open the books and prove it and go from there. It's a great starting point. Which neither side has gotten to yet.

And the owners were slowly opening up their books. The union already had access to all the Packers info and profitability statements from each club in the past five years. Is that everything needed to make a decision? No. But it's a heck of a start. You don't think the owners are going to give everything away all at once, do you?

Both sides needed to compromise. The NFL did. The union didn't.

[Chidi29]

Lol @ people who are getting mad at the players. You do realize this is a lockout and not a strike right? The players haven't asked for one red cent and have offered to give money to the owners without seeing the books. They didn't say no to the billion either... They asked to see the books first. This would've been much, much, MUCH closer to being done had the owners opened the books from the get go.

League only locked out because the players walked away. The league had no other choice.

[Chidi29]

Goodell cutting his salary to one dollar during the lockout, as promised.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...f=twitter_feed

[Borski]

Goodell cutting his salary to one dollar during the lockout, as promised.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...f=twitter_feed

Still a million more then he deserves.

[Chidi29]

Still a million more then he deserves.

Deserves it more than DeMaurice Smith.

[Borski]

since the union is gone, couldn't the owners come to agreements on player wages on a case by case basis?