VRABEL SCREWS UP AGAIN & "I'LL SEE YOUR LOCKOUT & RAISE YOU A BOYCOTT"
Before I start ranting & raving about the current state of affairs the NFL & it's locked out players find themselves in, I want to wish someone very special to me happy birthday. Today, April 20th would have been my dad's 86th birthday. It also marks the day his best friend passed away as they played golf on dad's B'day. Dick, his wife Betty & dad all passed away in 1998. This trio were original Chiefs' season ticket holders who never, ever missed a game. They are commemorated out at Arrowhead Stadium in Founder's Plaza. I miss them all. Dad, happy birthday.
When Chiefs' linebacker Mike Vrabel helped himself to 8 bottles of "free beer" in an Indiana casino store, it blew over in about 48-hours. But on Wednesday Vrabel was interviewed by NFL Network's Albert Breer & when asked about some "mid-tier" players complaining about not having a seat at the bargaining table, Vrabel really stuck his foot in his mouth.
"We're players here to represent players & De(DeMaurice Smith) works for us. They do have a seat & if they're unhappy with that seat, we have to vote in a new executive committee & a new board of player reps."
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the NFLPA vote to decertify & can no longer function or negotiate as a union? Of course the answer is yes, so they can have no executive committee or board of player reps or vote to have such representation. The players, formerly known as the NFL Players Association, are as Antonio Cromartie has said so eloquently, "1800 independent contractors or 1800 individual unions negotiating for their fair deal." Easily the smartest thing Cromartie ever said, but he's right. The league had to be drooling after hearing Vrabel's misguided statements. The NFLPA voted to decertify as a union so they could sue the NFL on antitrust violations. If they remained a union, they couldn't do that. Really big mistake from a guy who sits in on every negotiating session, every strategy session & a longtime player rep. He could've really helped the league with his remarks.
Both sides were directed to go back into mediation sessions, which they did, for all of 3 days. Now they've adjourned until May 16th. That should give Judge Susan Nelson time for her final verdict as to the legality of the lockout. Vrabel helped the opposition today, but we're still not going to see anything happen until at least the third week of May at the earliest.
Now that we've had our appetites whetted by the NFL's schedule release Tuesday evening & with the draft next week, pro football fans are getting frustrated by the lack of anything resembling concrete progress toward a new CBA. I'm truly sick of talking about it, writing about it or contemplating a delayed/shortened/canceled NFL season.
I'm not going to tell you I'll quit watching pro football, because I won't. Which is exactly what both sides in this dispute are banking on, our inability to walk away from the game. You think fans will quit drinking Budweiser, stop shaving with Gillette razors or park their Ford F-150 forever? So what can we do, what will make the owners & players understand just how totally pissed off we are? The only way you affect two sides that are haggling over money is to take some of that money out of their pockets. Longtime readers here know I'm completely addicted to purchasing little Chiefs' knick-knacks for my bar, media room or office. I also collect memorabilia of Hall of Fame players. I'm going to stop & not just until a CBA is signed & the season begins. I propose a complete boycott of all NFL licensed stuff, shirts, caps, flags, pictures, beer glasses, etc. etc. etc. from right now until one calender year after a new CBA is signed. If we could somehow stop NFL fans from purchasing any NFL gear, we could cut them out of over $250 million in licensing fees. This they would notice. That means no NFL Shop.com, no eBay, no shopping at the stadiums league-wide. Nothing, nada. I have friends & associates who make a good part of their yearly incomes from dealing in NFL licensed gear, sadly this would hurt them. I'm sorry, but I can't think of another realistic way to strike back at both sides in the current labor dispute.
If anyone has a better way, a different idea or you just want to call me an idiot, leave a comment or email me at rich@richsfootballreport.com.
I'd like to hear from you, do you feel helpless in this knock-down, drag-out struggle to divvy up your money? Do you want to join me in this boycott pledge? Let's hear it, if you think the players & owners truly believe the fans are really most important, then don't bother, just let 'em keep fleecing you.
When Chiefs' linebacker Mike Vrabel helped himself to 8 bottles of "free beer" in an Indiana casino store, it blew over in about 48-hours. But on Wednesday Vrabel was interviewed by NFL Network's Albert Breer & when asked about some "mid-tier" players complaining about not having a seat at the bargaining table, Vrabel really stuck his foot in his mouth.
"We're players here to represent players & De(DeMaurice Smith) works for us. They do have a seat & if they're unhappy with that seat, we have to vote in a new executive committee & a new board of player reps."
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the NFLPA vote to decertify & can no longer function or negotiate as a union? Of course the answer is yes, so they can have no executive committee or board of player reps or vote to have such representation. The players, formerly known as the NFL Players Association, are as Antonio Cromartie has said so eloquently, "1800 independent contractors or 1800 individual unions negotiating for their fair deal." Easily the smartest thing Cromartie ever said, but he's right. The league had to be drooling after hearing Vrabel's misguided statements. The NFLPA voted to decertify as a union so they could sue the NFL on antitrust violations. If they remained a union, they couldn't do that. Really big mistake from a guy who sits in on every negotiating session, every strategy session & a longtime player rep. He could've really helped the league with his remarks.
Both sides were directed to go back into mediation sessions, which they did, for all of 3 days. Now they've adjourned until May 16th. That should give Judge Susan Nelson time for her final verdict as to the legality of the lockout. Vrabel helped the opposition today, but we're still not going to see anything happen until at least the third week of May at the earliest.
Now that we've had our appetites whetted by the NFL's schedule release Tuesday evening & with the draft next week, pro football fans are getting frustrated by the lack of anything resembling concrete progress toward a new CBA. I'm truly sick of talking about it, writing about it or contemplating a delayed/shortened/canceled NFL season.
I'm not going to tell you I'll quit watching pro football, because I won't. Which is exactly what both sides in this dispute are banking on, our inability to walk away from the game. You think fans will quit drinking Budweiser, stop shaving with Gillette razors or park their Ford F-150 forever? So what can we do, what will make the owners & players understand just how totally pissed off we are? The only way you affect two sides that are haggling over money is to take some of that money out of their pockets. Longtime readers here know I'm completely addicted to purchasing little Chiefs' knick-knacks for my bar, media room or office. I also collect memorabilia of Hall of Fame players. I'm going to stop & not just until a CBA is signed & the season begins. I propose a complete boycott of all NFL licensed stuff, shirts, caps, flags, pictures, beer glasses, etc. etc. etc. from right now until one calender year after a new CBA is signed. If we could somehow stop NFL fans from purchasing any NFL gear, we could cut them out of over $250 million in licensing fees. This they would notice. That means no NFL Shop.com, no eBay, no shopping at the stadiums league-wide. Nothing, nada. I have friends & associates who make a good part of their yearly incomes from dealing in NFL licensed gear, sadly this would hurt them. I'm sorry, but I can't think of another realistic way to strike back at both sides in the current labor dispute.
If anyone has a better way, a different idea or you just want to call me an idiot, leave a comment or email me at rich@richsfootballreport.com.
I'd like to hear from you, do you feel helpless in this knock-down, drag-out struggle to divvy up your money? Do you want to join me in this boycott pledge? Let's hear it, if you think the players & owners truly believe the fans are really most important, then don't bother, just let 'em keep fleecing you.
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