NFL Lockout Thread

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Mon May 16, 2011 4:12 am

Okay, mediation between the players and owners starts today in Minneapolis. I think everyone agrees that nothing is going to get done and that this is just lip service in front of a judge. You'd think both sides could at least make nice and talk about ways to proceed sooner rather than later, but as Adam Schefter reported this morning both sides think they are going to win in St. Louis and thus nothing happens until we know exactly who has the edge.

Goodell continues to keep this edge toward the players and his quote from last week doesn't seem like he's expecting anything to happen this week:

"We come into this mediation session with every hope and intent to make them productive," Goodell said last week. "If there aren't two parties there willing to negotiate -- they are not willing to address the issues in a negotiation and they are sitting and waiting for their litigation strategy -- it's not likely that they're going to be productive."

Let's see what sound bites come out of these negotiations, but don't plan on anything substantive happening this week.

Tom Kessenich · Post by **Tom Kessenich** » Mon May 16, 2011 4:45 am

Schefter doesn't believe we'll see anything happen until July. He believes that if the court rules in favor of the players on June 3 the owners will just appeal again.

Yay.

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Mon May 16, 2011 7:21 am

CNBC's Darren Rovell reports that several prominent agents are telling their clients not to work out at all during the lockout, which should make for an interesting season if there's a last minute settlement:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/43049015

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Thu May 19, 2011 3:18 am

Here's another very good current analysis of the lockout by Sportsline's Clark Judge:

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/1507 ... ack-to-nfl

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Thu May 19, 2011 3:28 am

Here's a really good story on Aaron Rodgers if you're interested. Rodgers appeared in Milwaukee at the MACC Fund, an organization started by John McGlocklin back in the 1970s that raises money for Midwest Area Childhood Cancer (MACC). It has raised $38 million already and last year they had 1,500 people for the May banquet; this year with Rodgers speaking they had 6,500 and raised over $100,000. Rodgers was the guest speaker with his buddy Trent Dilfer. Here's a good story on his talk with the attendees:

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/ ... um=twitter

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Fri May 20, 2011 2:49 am

This is a very interesting and well-written piece by Giants CEO and President John Mara to their fans and is posted on NFL.com. What do you think?

Here's his essay:

TIME TO GET BACK TO FOOTBALL

By John Mara

NFL fans are not hearing much about football these days. Instead, they are hearing about litigation, mediation, the lockout, the Norris-LaGuardia Act, injunctions, appeals, and stays.

Fortunately, there is time to get back on track. We need to resolve our differences with the players at the bargaining table, start the 2011 season on time, and set a positive course for the future of our great game.

There was no reason for the situation to come to this. The NFL’s business model needs to be fixed. Of that, there is no doubt. The 2006 collective bargaining agreement was not balanced. Players have readily acknowledged they "got a great deal." Then the economy went south, adding to the problem. A fair adjustment must be negotiated in a new CBA.

I participated in two of three weeks of federal mediation in Washington. We made progress. We closed the gap on economics, offering to commit almost $20 billion to player costs over the next four years with a 14 percent increase from 2011 to 2014. We addressed other important player concerns in our March 11 offer. It was made in an effort to continue negotiations and reach agreement.

Instead, the NFL Players Association walked away from mediation. It put a litigation strategy in play and filed a lawsuit declaring virtually all league rules relating to player employment as being violations of antitrust law. The union said many times it had no plans to dismantle the core elements of the collectively bargained system that has been in place since 1993.

But starting March 11, those basic elements came under severe attack when NFLPA lawyers declared that the players preferred to pursue antitrust claims rather than exercise their rights under federal labor law.

"There's nothing good at the bargaining table," said NFLPA lawyer Jim Quinn at the April 6 Minnesota district court hearing. "We did it for 2½ years. It didn't work out."

The NFLPA's other key outside litigator, Jeff Kessler, said at a conference on March 30 that the NFL Draft is illegal and does not promote competitive balance. In his vision, NFL clubs would have to come up with a system on their own and defend it against inevitable antitrust attacks. "We have every reason to believe that if they are forced to impose a system, it is not going to be one that complies with the antitrust laws," Mr. Kessler said.

The NFLPA lawyers want to wipe away fundamental elements of the NFL's appeal to fans, including the draft, "the Salary Cap, 'franchise player' designation, 'transition player' designation, and/or other player restrictions," according to their lawsuit.

This strategy is no doubt designed to gain economic leverage in negotiations. But it has delayed the process of reaching an agreement and, more importantly, it threatens players, teams, and fans with very negative consequences. Without a CBA, we could be forced, as Mr. Kessler says, to come up with our own system that we think complies with antitrust law, knowing that each and every aspect of it is potentially the subject of years of litigation and uncertainty.

The likely changes would be great for NFLPA lawyers, but not for players, teams, or, most importantly, fans. For example, there could be no league-wide minimum player salaries, with many players making less than they do today, or no minimum team player costs, with many clubs cutting payrolls the way some teams do in other sports. Other bedrock components of the NFL’s competitiveness, such as the draft, would be called into question and assailed as antitrust violations. A steroid testing program is a must, so we would have to consider an independent administrator such as WADA. There could be varying player benefit plans from team to team, and limits on the ability to enforce other league-wide rules that benefit players, especially rank-and-file players that do not go to the Pro Bowl.

Even a settlement of the Brady lawsuit, in which the plaintiffs agree to certain rules, could be challenged by other players -- now or in the future. The league and individual clubs would likely be hit with a barrage of lawsuits. We could end up with an unregulated system in which a disproportionate amount of money goes to "stars" and where teams in small markets struggle for survival. The very concept of a league with 32 competitive teams would be rendered virtually inoperable.

Before going to work for the Giants, I represented several unions as an attorney for the New York City law firm Shea & Gould. Our firm represented hotel and restaurant workers, building service workers, the Screen Actors Guild, and other unions. Collective bargaining works. Both sides in a labor negotiation have rights under law that guides the parties to compromise and agreement. I observed how it played out in the NFL when my father, Wellington Mara, led the NFL's labor committee decades ago. The NFL's goal then and now was never a work stoppage. We locked out the players this year only after they walked away from negotiations and sued. A strike or lockout is a last resort to force a resolution. Our end-game has always been a balanced collective bargaining agreement that helps us grow and improve the game.

The solution lies at the bargaining table. Everyone should realize what is at stake, especially in this economy. Right now, fans are caught in the middle listening to rhetoric and legalese they don’t want to hear. That is why, as ownership and players, we must recognize our shared responsibility as stewards of the game to compromise and reach a fair agreement -- one that highly compensates players, protects their health and safety, ensures the on-field competitiveness of 32 teams, helps retired players, and improves the fan experience and fan value. The best way to get there is to let both sides exercise their labor law rights.

The current ball of confusion needs to become a football season, pronto; the kind of football season that NFL fans have grown to love and that has made our sport so popular.

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Fri May 20, 2011 3:00 am

Here's what ESPN's Trent Dilfer said to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel about the lockout:

Q: Do you side with the players? Or the owners? Or does it depend on the issue?

Dilfer: It depends on the issue. I really see both sides. I saw this coming – I was still playing when we did the final extension of the last agreement. I’m thinking to myself, we have beat them up so much. We won the battle so resoundingly, that you just couldn’t comprehend… I remember telling my wife, good thing I’ll be retired by the time this thing comes around again, because this is going to get ugly.

Tom Kessenich · Post by **Tom Kessenich** » Fri May 20, 2011 3:05 am

I'm tired of the owners and Goodell telling everyone it's time to get back to football. NO KIDDING. It's been time to get back to football for months now. This is YOUR lockout. This is what you planned for two years to execute. So don't tell me it's time to get back to something that you have taken away from us.

Here's the deal - the owners have the players over the barrel right now. The players in my opinion have no chance to win in the courts at this point based on this week's ruling. So the owners can try and stick it to them further or they can open a line of negotiations by making some minor concessions. They hold all the cards so there's no reason for them to show weakness but if you're serious about wanting to get back to football prove it to us by making some reasonable concessions and seeing if that will spark renewed interest by the players.

All this rhetoric makes me ill. I don't want to hear more spun statements by Goodell or read more op-ed pieces by management. The time for talk is over. It's time to do something if you're truly serious about "getting back to football."

BillyWaz · Post by **BillyWaz** » Fri May 20, 2011 3:24 am

Originally posted by Tom Kessenich:
I'm tired of the owners and Goodell telling everyone it's time to get back to football. NO KIDDING. It's been time to get back to football for months now. This is YOUR lockout. This is what you planned for two years to execute. So don't tell me it's time to get back to something that you have taken away from us.

Here's the deal - the owners have the players over the barrel right now. The players in my opinion have no chance to win in the courts at this point based on this week's ruling. So the owners can try and stick it to them further or they can open a line of negotiations by making some minor concessions. They hold all the cards so there's no reason for them to show weakness but if you're serious about wanting to get back to football prove it to us by making some reasonable concessions and seeing if that will spark renewed interest by the players.

All this rhetoric makes me ill. I don't want to hear more spun statements by Goodell or read more op-ed pieces by management. The time for talk is over. It's time to do something if you're truly serious about "getting back to football." Well said Tom.

I am sick of hearing Goodell say "we want what is best for the fans." What is best is HAVING A SEASON you friggin idiot!!!!

He is a total politician trying to talk out of both sides of his mouth. I really wish at the draft the people would of thrown tomatoes, shot him with a paintball gun (OK...maybe a little extreme! ), etc. or at least booed HIM every time he walked to the podium.

He is a first class a**hole!!!! So tired of this crap.

GET IT DONE ALREADY!!!!!!!

[ May 20, 2011, 09:24 AM: Message edited by: BillyWaz ]

Old School · Post by **Old School** » Fri May 20, 2011 3:45 am

Mara said it PERFECTLY. Dilfer is honest too.
I have ZERO sympathy for players. THEY hired a sleazebag lawyer, not a negotiator. THEY brought it to the courts. How anyone can listen to that jerk-off DeMoron Smith and still side with them is beyond me