BRITT MAKES THINGS WORSE, PEOPLE ARE CLUELESS ABOUT PLAYER PENSIONS, WHAT'S NEW IN LABOR TALKS & PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T LET CONGRESS GET INVOLVED
Kenny Britt, Tennessee Titans wide receiver, continues to make bad decisions, my question is, where is his agent? He obviously can't get out of his own way, 6 arrests in just over 2-years & today, he just made things worse. Brendan Prunty of the Newark Star-Ledger reported this evening Britt has had a bit of a social media meltdown. It began with a Facebook update that simply said "Retiring from the NFL. F*#k you Goodell." Beautiful. About 25-minutes later, according to Prunty, Britt did an about-face, "Change of heart, my family is always here for me. I made mistakes & I am sorry. I am going to change & become a better person. I will accept any penalty like a man." Like he has a choice. An hour later, Britt updated his Facebook account yet again with "My Facebook was hacked with those past 2 status's. I'm not retiring & I don't have any hate for the Commissioner." Hacked you say? How'd that work out for the last guy who claimed he was hacked? This kid needs full-time adult supervision.
The U.S. Department of Justice will have their private sit-down with college's BCS Tuesday. The DOJ wants to know why there isn't a playoff in Division I football like almost every other NCAA sport, how some conferences receive favorable consideration from the BCS & how the money is divided. Getting any government agency involved in your business isn't in your best interest. See below.
Former Jet & Dolphin quarterback Chad Pennington will sit out the 2011 season, whenever that is, to become an on-air NFL TV analyst for FOXSports. Pennington had his throwing shoulder rebuilt for the third time last fall plus had his knee worked on twice. I doubt he'll ever play again, but he left the door open for a return in his statement.
I made a mistake tonight, I read some comment boards on several football sights. It's really frightening how completely clueless many people are when it comes to players from the past. It's like anyone who played before these 20-somethings were born, didn't exist, weren't any good, don't deserve any attention since "they made millions & failed to save any of it." Honestly, an overwhelming majority of these basement dwelling, mouth-breathers show their ignorance by hammering out angry, uninformed, comments. I know most of you are more tuned in to the truth, but for the few that have questions, let me offer up the following:
1. nearly all NFL players prior to 1970, didn't earn close to a million dollars over their entire career.
2. Most players prior to 1980 don't make $1,000 a month from their NFL pension.
3. Many players from the 50's make less than $300 a month.
4. Medical benefits, especially surgery & rehab, are basically rationed. Sometimes it takes more than a year to get approvals.
5. Prior to 1980, everyone had off-season jobs selling cars or doing construction etc.
6. Many players from the "old days" who sustained concussions had smelling salts waved under their nose & were sent right back into the game. There were no rules regarding head injuries or concussions & the number of player suicides, brain damage & overall disabilities is staggering.
Former All-Pro guard Conrad Dobler can barely
walk after undergoing some 25 surgeries.
Joe DeLamielleure, former Buffalo guard & Pro Football Hall of Famer, said "We've earned the right to have a livable pension. The NFL is the most lucrative sport on the planet & they can't take care of 2,000 guys? That's wrong." He's absolutely correct, the league & the players ought to be ashamed of their indifference to these players.
In a somewhat related story, the Southern Impact Research Center in Rockford Tennessee wants to install electronic sensors in some NFL helmets & monitor the impacts current players absorb with their noggins. They've done it with air pressure some 70,000 times, but they want data from real hits in live games. This is exactly the type of research that should have been done at least a decade ago when the long term affects were beginning to show up in retired players.
So what will come out of tomorrow's owner's meeting in Chicago? I have some fears regarding a few guys undoing everything that has been accomplished the past three weeks. Supposedly, the toughest negotiating point yet to be addressed effectively is the rookie salary scale. Number two is a sliding scale in the proposed revenue sharing. Think about it, the players want a certain percentage of the total revenue, but are they willing to take less if those revenues go south in this sour economy? Seems only fair, you want your share in good times & keep it coming even when things aren't so profitable. These are the "Win-Win" topics I spoke of last week, both sides are going to have to swallow some things they don't like for this to work. Right now I wonder if all parties are on board with that concept.
As Sam Mellinger of The Kansas City Star said yesterday, the small market owners have to be on their guard because in the heat of negotiations, the "little guys" might be sacrificed somewhat for the greater good of the "big guys." Jerry Jones, Daniel Snyder & a few more owners want all the revenue their franchise generates to stay at home, it shouldn't be subject to revenue sharing. TV & ticket sales are O.K., but parking, concessions, all team gear sales etc. should stay with that team. Here again, compromise is essential, let's hope Clark Hunt can stand his ground.
Mellinger also clarified something regarding the pay-cuts being absorbed by front office personnel out at Arrowhead. Any employee making less than $50k wasn't forced to take a pay cut. Good to know.
For all of you who thinks our Congress is doing a bang-up job running our country, you should know they have begun sending messages to the NFL & it's players. Congress wants the labor problems to end ASAP. They "don't want to get involved, but will if both sides continue to ignore their fans." Fans, aka voters. Former Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Spector said Monday there was a lot of sympathy on the hill for entering the fray to aid the league's fans. The NFL also received a letter from two unnamed senators who warned the league about HGH(Human Growth Hormone). They want the league to have testing requirements in the CBA currently being negotiated. The last thing ownership or it's players should want is a bunch of shameless politicians sticking their nose into league business. They continue to prove daily, they don't solve anything, they just stir the pot & make things worse.
The U.S. Department of Justice will have their private sit-down with college's BCS Tuesday. The DOJ wants to know why there isn't a playoff in Division I football like almost every other NCAA sport, how some conferences receive favorable consideration from the BCS & how the money is divided. Getting any government agency involved in your business isn't in your best interest. See below.
Former Jet & Dolphin quarterback Chad Pennington will sit out the 2011 season, whenever that is, to become an on-air NFL TV analyst for FOXSports. Pennington had his throwing shoulder rebuilt for the third time last fall plus had his knee worked on twice. I doubt he'll ever play again, but he left the door open for a return in his statement.
I made a mistake tonight, I read some comment boards on several football sights. It's really frightening how completely clueless many people are when it comes to players from the past. It's like anyone who played before these 20-somethings were born, didn't exist, weren't any good, don't deserve any attention since "they made millions & failed to save any of it." Honestly, an overwhelming majority of these basement dwelling, mouth-breathers show their ignorance by hammering out angry, uninformed, comments. I know most of you are more tuned in to the truth, but for the few that have questions, let me offer up the following:
1. nearly all NFL players prior to 1970, didn't earn close to a million dollars over their entire career.
2. Most players prior to 1980 don't make $1,000 a month from their NFL pension.
3. Many players from the 50's make less than $300 a month.
4. Medical benefits, especially surgery & rehab, are basically rationed. Sometimes it takes more than a year to get approvals.
5. Prior to 1980, everyone had off-season jobs selling cars or doing construction etc.
6. Many players from the "old days" who sustained concussions had smelling salts waved under their nose & were sent right back into the game. There were no rules regarding head injuries or concussions & the number of player suicides, brain damage & overall disabilities is staggering.
Former All-Pro guard Conrad Dobler can barely
walk after undergoing some 25 surgeries.
Joe DeLamielleure, former Buffalo guard & Pro Football Hall of Famer, said "We've earned the right to have a livable pension. The NFL is the most lucrative sport on the planet & they can't take care of 2,000 guys? That's wrong." He's absolutely correct, the league & the players ought to be ashamed of their indifference to these players.
In a somewhat related story, the Southern Impact Research Center in Rockford Tennessee wants to install electronic sensors in some NFL helmets & monitor the impacts current players absorb with their noggins. They've done it with air pressure some 70,000 times, but they want data from real hits in live games. This is exactly the type of research that should have been done at least a decade ago when the long term affects were beginning to show up in retired players.
So what will come out of tomorrow's owner's meeting in Chicago? I have some fears regarding a few guys undoing everything that has been accomplished the past three weeks. Supposedly, the toughest negotiating point yet to be addressed effectively is the rookie salary scale. Number two is a sliding scale in the proposed revenue sharing. Think about it, the players want a certain percentage of the total revenue, but are they willing to take less if those revenues go south in this sour economy? Seems only fair, you want your share in good times & keep it coming even when things aren't so profitable. These are the "Win-Win" topics I spoke of last week, both sides are going to have to swallow some things they don't like for this to work. Right now I wonder if all parties are on board with that concept.
As Sam Mellinger of The Kansas City Star said yesterday, the small market owners have to be on their guard because in the heat of negotiations, the "little guys" might be sacrificed somewhat for the greater good of the "big guys." Jerry Jones, Daniel Snyder & a few more owners want all the revenue their franchise generates to stay at home, it shouldn't be subject to revenue sharing. TV & ticket sales are O.K., but parking, concessions, all team gear sales etc. should stay with that team. Here again, compromise is essential, let's hope Clark Hunt can stand his ground.
Mellinger also clarified something regarding the pay-cuts being absorbed by front office personnel out at Arrowhead. Any employee making less than $50k wasn't forced to take a pay cut. Good to know.
For all of you who thinks our Congress is doing a bang-up job running our country, you should know they have begun sending messages to the NFL & it's players. Congress wants the labor problems to end ASAP. They "don't want to get involved, but will if both sides continue to ignore their fans." Fans, aka voters. Former Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Spector said Monday there was a lot of sympathy on the hill for entering the fray to aid the league's fans. The NFL also received a letter from two unnamed senators who warned the league about HGH(Human Growth Hormone). They want the league to have testing requirements in the CBA currently being negotiated. The last thing ownership or it's players should want is a bunch of shameless politicians sticking their nose into league business. They continue to prove daily, they don't solve anything, they just stir the pot & make things worse.
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