SO CLOSE TO A DEAL, YET EVERYONE IS MAD
I was amazed at the number of comments & emails I've received so far this morning. The tone isn't good either, everybody seems to be angry & I'm not talking just about the people who read this site. The players are angry, they were angry last night & many of them are still angry this morning. Jumping on Twitter when you don't have all the facts just inflames people. Vonnie Holliday, the Redskins player rep, went berserk on Twitter claiming the owners had "tricked, duped, lead astray, hoodwinked & bamboozled." He later admitted he hadn't actually read the CBA before Tweeting. Excellent judgement from a man representing 53 other players. Saints fullback Heath Evans, Bills rep George Wilson & the Niners rep Takeo Spikes were honestly very angry at what they interpreted as arrogance coming from the owners. So what specifically rubs them the wrong way?
1. They didn't like being told how to re-certify their own union by the league's outside counsel Jeffrey Pash. IMO, they have every right to be a pissed off being lectured to by Pash.
2. All of them claimed the owners had included some items that weren't part of the bargaining. When asked specifically what were they referring to, they replied "Supplemental revenue sharing. That wasn't part of our deal." Yeah it isn't part of your deal because it has absolutely nothing to do with the owner/player relationship. It is all about keeping small market teams competitive, you know like Green Bay, the smallest market city in all of professional sports????? Supplemental revenue sharing insures small market teams will remain competitive thru more profitable teams guaranteeing their payroll. Many times they don't require the "shared revenue" but it's already in writing if they do require it. This is a major point of contention among many of the owners, I think it's one of the main reasons so many of the owners were so grim-faced when they were seen walking thru the hotel, they had just had this knock-down-drag-out battle amongst themselves. Even Takeo Spikes admitted this morning on Mike & Mike in the Morning "it has nothing to do with us, but we want to understand it all, every word, before we vote."
3. The players believed the owners were force-feeding them to vote last night & then re-certify the union today. They believed this "powerplay" was designed to put the pressure on them with the fans to get this deal completed immediately. I agree with them, but it was their decision to go last & in negotiations that involve such huge public sentiment, the players were beaten to the punch by the NFL, plain & simple. When you poke a football player, he will poke back, they don't take kindly to being showed up & that's what we're seeing, 1,900 "wounded bears" ready for a fight. Shame those bears didn't stay off Twitter, that just pours gas on the fans' fire.
4. The NFLPA talking points this morning include "it'll get done when it's a fair deal." In other words, don't rush us. It's a 10-year deal & most likely none of the players involved in this decision will be in the league in 10-years. They claim they might want an "opt-out clause" after 7-years. If they are serious about the opt-out option, they're going to have to give up something major to get it. Money is always a good guess. I can't blame them for wanting to understand everyline of this agreement before signing it. Too bad our representatives in Washington don't take the same care before voting.
5. Quietly, the NFLPA is somewhat concerned they could be included in a lawsuit from Vincent Jackson & his agents. This Jackson mess will have to be completely resolved before this CBA is ratified, he & his reps are too much of a loose cannon.
6. NFL outside counsel Jeffrey Pash continues to annoy the hell out the players, just a short time ago he began spouting off about HGH testing saying "the players agree with us, it has to become part of our drug testing." Roger Goodell needs to gag this guy & lock him in a closet. No one other than the players should be speaking for the players right now. I'd give DeMaurice Smith the same advice, send Jim Quinn & Jeffrey Kessler on a long trip. This pair has done nothing to shorten these negotiations but they have run up over a million dollars in legal fees, so at least someone is a winner. Lawyers....you know I love 'em.
So where do we stand? Because every NFL owner is in Massachsetts for the funeral of Mara Kraft, the late wife of Pats owner Robert Kraft, nothing will get done on their side today if something is thrown back at them. But since DeMaurice Smith is also attending the services, I doubt a vote will happen today. If one isn't taken tomorrow, it will delay free agency, opening of training camps & possibly cost them a full week of preseason games. I've always believed DeMaurice Smith wanted this job to use as a stepping stone for a national elected office, the senate or congress. He'll never have a chance to try if he becomes the face of cancelled NFL games & angry fans.
If you have comments or questions, please let me hear from you. Comments can be left at the end of every post or email me at rich@richsfootballreport.com DonnaDD?
1. They didn't like being told how to re-certify their own union by the league's outside counsel Jeffrey Pash. IMO, they have every right to be a pissed off being lectured to by Pash.
2. All of them claimed the owners had included some items that weren't part of the bargaining. When asked specifically what were they referring to, they replied "Supplemental revenue sharing. That wasn't part of our deal." Yeah it isn't part of your deal because it has absolutely nothing to do with the owner/player relationship. It is all about keeping small market teams competitive, you know like Green Bay, the smallest market city in all of professional sports????? Supplemental revenue sharing insures small market teams will remain competitive thru more profitable teams guaranteeing their payroll. Many times they don't require the "shared revenue" but it's already in writing if they do require it. This is a major point of contention among many of the owners, I think it's one of the main reasons so many of the owners were so grim-faced when they were seen walking thru the hotel, they had just had this knock-down-drag-out battle amongst themselves. Even Takeo Spikes admitted this morning on Mike & Mike in the Morning "it has nothing to do with us, but we want to understand it all, every word, before we vote."
3. The players believed the owners were force-feeding them to vote last night & then re-certify the union today. They believed this "powerplay" was designed to put the pressure on them with the fans to get this deal completed immediately. I agree with them, but it was their decision to go last & in negotiations that involve such huge public sentiment, the players were beaten to the punch by the NFL, plain & simple. When you poke a football player, he will poke back, they don't take kindly to being showed up & that's what we're seeing, 1,900 "wounded bears" ready for a fight. Shame those bears didn't stay off Twitter, that just pours gas on the fans' fire.
4. The NFLPA talking points this morning include "it'll get done when it's a fair deal." In other words, don't rush us. It's a 10-year deal & most likely none of the players involved in this decision will be in the league in 10-years. They claim they might want an "opt-out clause" after 7-years. If they are serious about the opt-out option, they're going to have to give up something major to get it. Money is always a good guess. I can't blame them for wanting to understand everyline of this agreement before signing it. Too bad our representatives in Washington don't take the same care before voting.
5. Quietly, the NFLPA is somewhat concerned they could be included in a lawsuit from Vincent Jackson & his agents. This Jackson mess will have to be completely resolved before this CBA is ratified, he & his reps are too much of a loose cannon.
6. NFL outside counsel Jeffrey Pash continues to annoy the hell out the players, just a short time ago he began spouting off about HGH testing saying "the players agree with us, it has to become part of our drug testing." Roger Goodell needs to gag this guy & lock him in a closet. No one other than the players should be speaking for the players right now. I'd give DeMaurice Smith the same advice, send Jim Quinn & Jeffrey Kessler on a long trip. This pair has done nothing to shorten these negotiations but they have run up over a million dollars in legal fees, so at least someone is a winner. Lawyers....you know I love 'em.
So where do we stand? Because every NFL owner is in Massachsetts for the funeral of Mara Kraft, the late wife of Pats owner Robert Kraft, nothing will get done on their side today if something is thrown back at them. But since DeMaurice Smith is also attending the services, I doubt a vote will happen today. If one isn't taken tomorrow, it will delay free agency, opening of training camps & possibly cost them a full week of preseason games. I've always believed DeMaurice Smith wanted this job to use as a stepping stone for a national elected office, the senate or congress. He'll never have a chance to try if he becomes the face of cancelled NFL games & angry fans.
If you have comments or questions, please let me hear from you. Comments can be left at the end of every post or email me at rich@richsfootballreport.com DonnaDD?
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