UNION: NFL owners want lockout

[papazoid]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4793411

 

Rookie wage cap, blood testing, benefit cuts, a nearly 20 percent "giveback" and a work stoppage were prominent in a recent communication that NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith sent to player representatives in describing a bleak labor negotiation picture.

[BillsVet]

The NFLPA got a sweetheart deal when Gene Upshaw basically told Tagliabue take it or leave it back in 2006. And now the owners are saying that deal hurts their ability to make money. Go figure.

 

The owners may not want to, but they may need to reveal how much they're making. It's leaked out GB and some small markets aren't even making 5% of their team's total value. De Smith can't back down from that awesome deal, because doing so would irrevocably hurt his repuation.

[BuffaloBill]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4793411

 

Rookie wage cap, blood testing, benefit cuts, a nearly 20 percent "giveback" and a work stoppage were prominent in a recent communication that NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith sent to player representatives in describing a bleak labor negotiation picture.

 

 

I like the idea of a rookie wage cap. It will be intersting to see how this plays out.

[DarthICE]

Well they don't have to release their financials so the Union can go pound sand. As for the rest, the owners can always out last the union when it comes to lockouts. They will field scrubs and fans will still come. the players will run out of money well before the teams do.

 

Rookie cap should be implemented immediately. Blood testing? I think its great, the players won't though. No more hiding their steroid use

[Maguire's Beer]

Well they don't have to release their financials so the Union can go pound sand.

 

If the NFL at any point cries poor to back up the demand for financial concessions, then the owners will have to open their books.

[RyanC882]

Well they don't have to release their financials so the Union can go pound sand. As for the rest, the owners can always out last the union when it comes to lockouts. They will field scrubs and fans will still come. the players will run out of money well before the teams do.

 

Rookie cap should be implemented immediately. Blood testing? I think its great, the players won't though. No more hiding their steroid use

 

 

Ha Bills might have a chance if the NFL uses replacement players. ! I"ll still come up from Pgh for games.

[billsfan89]

This could be a bunch of hot air or a real bad situation for the NFL as a whole. The players want something similar to the last CBA. The players want no cap, more guaranteed money, no revenue sharing, BUT I don't know their stance on the rookie wage scale.

 

So the players basically just want a few tweaks to the CBA nothing major because the last CBA really worked out for the players. Now it gets tricky when you look at the owners and what they want. They want a cap, less guaranteed money, rookie cap, and blood testing. BUT what makes a lockout probable is the split between small market owners and the bigger owners. Ralph Wilson had it right voting against the current CBA (I believe he was the only one to do so).

 

Smaller market owners want to continue some sort of revenue sharing process. They also want to make sure that there isn't as big of a divide between the smaller teams and the bigger teams. The bigger markets want no more revenue sharing and want to press their advantage over the smaller teams.

 

Its the fact that there is almost 3 factions disputing here. You have the players, the smaller market owners, and the larger market owners. I think if the owners don't get their **** together it could be a long lockout because if the owners aren't united then the negotiations will take forever.

[Boatdrinks]

You're wrong on several fronts. The players do NOT want an uncapped situation at all. Why? Because no cap also means no floor. The owners are free to spend as much as they want (a select few will spend relentlessly) OR as little as they want (many may decide to spend much less than they do now. Rosters are only 53 players, so an elite group will get to play for the Jerry Joneses, the Dan Snyder's, the B(l)ob Kraft's. The rest would be the NFL version of the have nots. The players union is opposed to this and prefers the guaranteed salary levels (you cannot vastly underspend the cap) that a capped situation provides. The union is not opposed to the principle of a rookie cap either. They are open to agreeing to one, but want assurances built in that the money "saved" by the owners through limiting rookie wages will not simply line the owners pockets. They want those dollars funneled to veteran players. This sticking point needs to be negotiated, but owners feel the present situation must change, as a "bust" draft pick can set your franchise back for years and cost millions. So an uncapped year may be unavoidable for 2010, as there is only around a month between the super bowl and the start of free agency. Since the uncapped scenario triggers some different rules for FA, such as years required for unrestricted FA and the restriction of the top seeded team in each conference being prohibited from signing any FA's unless they lose one, there is no "turning back" once FA begins. Look for an uncapped 2010, heated negotiations in the offseason and potentially a lockout for 2011 if the major issues of a lower percentage of revenues for players, a rookie cap, and fewer seasons to reach unrestricted status cannot be resolved this summer.