We all know how the NFL owners have been scheming during the lead up to the NFL lockout, well they were the only ones planning during this time, I’ve learned from an NFL source close to the union that the NFLPA has held back royalty checks from its players in preparation for this situation.
The leaders of the union were concerned about the financial viability of the players during a prolonged lockout, so they held onto the players royalty checks for trading cards and video games. Now the union will be able to send out these checks during the lockout to try to keep its players afloat.
We have all heard about how poorly some players manage their financial lives, so it’s not news to most NFL fans that some players will have problems if they’re not getting paid. What many fans are unaware of is the fact that most players are paid thousands of dollars to work out at their team’s training facility. That money is cut off now during a lockout.
Of course the financial sustainability of the players will be a key going forward. If a large number of NFL players start to have financial problems to the point to where they’re calling the players association and demanding that the decertification and lockout end, it will weaken the hand of the union leadership.
On the other hand if the players are able to stand strong, it’s going to increase the pressure on the owners because they’ll be faced with more trips into the courtroom of U.S. District Court Judge David Doty. First of all the owners should be concerned about Doty deciding to shut down the lockout because of their behavior with the bad faith negotiations with the television networks.
Doty could decide to levy heavy financial penalties against the owners for negotiating contracts with the television networks in “bad faith” in violation of the CBA because they took less money from the major television networks, so that the networks would agree to pay them $4 billion dollars whether there was any NFL football played in 2011 or not.
I wish Nancy Grace were the judge in this situation……… It will be Swift Justice….. LOL…. and with the Owners getting caught with their hand in the cookie jar…….. I believe Doty will compensate a majority of the NFL players with their financial issues with this 4 billion dollar hush/ Bernie Madoff money the owners were going to pocket during the lockout…… Gas prices are sky high america!!!!!!! The so-call land of the free and home of the brave!!!!! 1 man destroyed the city of cleveland by taking his talents to south beach……. A group of owners takeaway the NFL from their employees, including the fans who some live for this sport…….. 2010-2011…… YEARS to never remember…… Everything is a SCANDAL!!!!
This 1$ non-sense is just a big smack in the face to us all……… I rather they not mention that on Sports Center……. Like we were born last night…… Like the Owners are taking a huge pay cut……
If Doty rules for the players……. He’ll be a loved man for the fans and everyone who loves the NFL……. But will be hated by the higher power of greed and he’ll be the James Joyce to the owners instead of the fans hating him…….. Imagine the hate mail he’ll receive?????
lets just get this done. Slam the owners for what they have done…. get the players to stop crying for the books to be opened and lets get FA rolling.
The final offer the owners allegedly sent to the players
appeared to be more than fair to me. Gave the players essentially everything they asked for. The NFLPA turned it down. In my eyes the owners made a real effort to get this thing taken care of and to ensure we’d have football in the fall. The players now share equal blame for this mess. Actually,to hell with equal, this is now the players’ fault. I’m officially pro-owner.
Here’s the owners proposal
1. We more than split the economic difference between us, increasing our proposed cap for 2011 significantly and accepting the union’s proposed cap number for 2014 ($161 million per club).
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2. An entry-level compensation system based on the union’s “rookie cap” proposal, rather than the wage scale proposed by the clubs. Under the NFL proposal, players drafted in rounds 2-7 would be paid the same or more than they are paid today. Savings from the first round would be reallocated to veteran players and benefits.
3. A guarantee of up to $1 million of a player’s salary for the contract year after his injury, the first time that the clubs have offered a standard multiyear injury guarantee.
4. Immediate implementation of changes to promote player health and safety by: reducing the offseason program by five weeks, reducing OTAs (organized team activities) from 14 to 10 and limiting on-field practice time and contact; limiting full-contact practices in the preseason and regular season; and increasing number of days off for players.
5. Commit that any change to an 18-game season will be made only by agreement and that the 2011 and 2012 seasons will be played under the current 16-game format.
6. Owner funding of $82 million in 2011-12 to support additional benefits to former players, which would increase retirement benefits for more than 2,000 former players by nearly 60 percent.
7. Offer current players the opportunity to remain in the player medical plan for life.
8. Third-party arbitration for appeals in the drug and steroid programs.
9. Improvements in the Mackey plan (designed for players suffering from dementia and other brain-related problems), disability plan and degree-completion bonus program.
10. A per-club cash minimum spend of 90 percent of the salary cap over three seasons.
The Players have had every intention to “de-certify” and put the whole ball
of was and agreement entirely into teh “Court System” and into the hands of LAwyers… This has been 2 years in the making and anyone who doesn’t realize this hasn’t been paying attention… This 2011 Off-Season, Outside of the Draft, for all intents and purposes is over.. They will be no player movement, no trades, and no Free-agency.. The OWners have also prepared for this as well and have planty of cash reserves built up to withstand a hopldout/lockout/missed camps and even games for a while…
Remember that a average player’s career only last for approx 4 Seasons in the NFL, how many players want to take a chance and potentaill miss out on 25% of their lifetime earnnigs by sitting out this season ..
Bottom line on this mess is that it’s a 3 part play (Owners, Players and Courts), with no role for the fans. This is not unlike any other labor disagreement, work stoppage or lock-out in professional sports over the last 25 years.
Fans can pick sides, cheer, boo or choose not to attend – but are powerless to make an impact. For every fan that opts out of their season tickets in disgust, there are 10 more in line to buy them. The owners, players, sports books, advertisers and web-sites all know that fans are addicts and take advantage of it. Think I’m wrong? check out the numbers on TV viewing of the combine, the total gambling dollars each year, the fantasy sites and players, GCobb and PFT visits, etc., etc.
So, sit back and stop stressing about it and stop hanging on every news item. Geez – if I weren’t an addict, too, maybe I could follow my own advice….
I think the NFL should sell the entire league to China so we can have our Football back.. Every team would have to have at 3 least Chinamen on their Roster (they can’t be kickers or punters either)..
Kinda of what the NHL does now, allowing each team to have a few Americans on it..
It was a game of chicken for Both sides.
Owners wanted to gather as much $$ together so they could push the players to a deal they didnt like.
Players A wanted to keep the deal they had and or make it better. They used their power to break up (this is bogus and we all know that).\
As of now the players won the game but i think they should have taken the last deaal. They didnt and here we are.
can i play now lol
i want to be a replacement player
id like to play both sides of the ball please
thanx
theres a good question will the owners go as far as playing scab ball again?
Am I the only one to notice that “B-Dawk” has been in the last two major story pics involving the union? I guess at this point in his career he’s trying to make sure he’s covered medically etc. Just “food for thought” etc.
Bdawk learned alot from Troy over the years and your right i think hes putting himself out there.So in short this judge may bitch slap these owners and straighten it out?I still believe we’ll have a season next year. Both parties know how it would effect the league image. Baseball could bump up and take some shine..no way they want that.
When the season does start its really gonna effect the new cords and h.c..Teams with systems in place and quick learning rooks will be in even better positions. Maybe less paradoy for a year .
This jacks up the Awesome-Mua score we coulda had….GO PHILLS.
Hey Gotta Luv it, I think you misunderstand the money aspect, the players and owners had a deal they agreed upon, then the owners out of nowhere wanted money back. Just because they decreased the amount they wanted back doesn’t make it negotiating, they still have to prove why they need ANY money back. If somebody walked up to you and said to give them $10 you didn’t owe them, then when you said no they said well just give me $5, do you give it to them because they lowered their request? !!!