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NFLPA orchestrating draft day boycott


Cunning Runt
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What a bunch of douchebags. This is nothing more than spite. There's no leverage to be gained here. It's just DeMaurice Smith trying to make the NFL look bad.

 

This is potentially the fulfillment of a life-long dream for some of these draftees and Smith looks like to be strong-arming them into not going.

 

 

Per a link on Adam Schefter's Twitter page......

 

[i]"The NFL Players Association is putting into place a plan that would prevent each top college prospect from attending next month's draft in New York, according to multiple league sources. The NFLPA already has contacted 17 top prospects that ordinarily would have received an invitation to attend the draft and informed them not to go.

 

Thus, when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announces the name of the first player selected, the player will not walk on to the stage at Radio City Music Hall as has been the custom. And the player will not be there to do interviews with ESPN or NFL Network. The draft will go on, but not in the manner in which it has been conducted before.

 

"As of right now, this is 100 percent happening," said one source familiar with the Players Association's thinking. "This is going down."

 

The Players Association even has gone so far as to consider placing the players on another competing network to do post-pick interviews, though no final decisions have been made. Another source said that, in this day and age, it's possible that the top prospects also could appear on a social media network platform, only.

 

"We plan to invite the 15-20 top prospects and their families to New York as we normally do for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. And, as always, it is the decision of the players and their families as to whether they attend," league spokesman Greg Aiello said in response to the report.

 

While the NFL has always paid the expenses for the invited players and their immediate family to attend the draft, the league said it would not pay players a fee in an attempt to have them present this year.

 

Last Friday, the union decertified, meaning it declared itself out of the business of representing players. In exchange for giving up their rights under labor law, the players are able to take their chances in court under antitrust law.

 

Although it no longer represents players, the NFLPA still exists "as a professional trade association with the mission of supporting the interests and rights of current and former professional football players," it said after decertifying."[/i]

Edited by Cunning Runt
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I thought the NFLPA was decertified. I don't suppose that Judge Doty will take into account that the NFLPA is still acting as a union when he considers anti-trust actions against the NFL...

 

Well, I wonder if the kids waiting to be drafted have thought about how this might affect their draft status/negotiations with their future team?

Edited by Bronco Billy
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hey, yeah, that's a great way to get the fans on your side in this mess.

 

edit: wouldn't surprise me to see the non-union union fold like a cheap tent on this point, and pretend it is doing so out of graciousness and "compromise".

Edited by Azazello1313
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I thought the NFLPA was decertified. I don't suppose that Judge Doty will take into account that the NFLPA is still acting as a union when he considers anti-trust actions against the NFL...

 

Well, I wonder if the kids waiting to be drafted have thought about how this might affect their draft status/negotiations with their future team?

 

I was hearing on Sirius NFL that a female judge by the last name of Nelson (first name was Judy I think), was going to be the initial person ruling on the propriety of the lockout - not Judge Doty.

 

Not sure what impact this will have.

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I was hearing on Sirius NFL that a female judge by the last name of Nelson (first name was Judy I think), was going to be the initial person ruling on the propriety of the lockout - not Judge Doty.

 

Not sure what impact this will have.

 

Think it is Susan.

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I was hearing on Sirius NFL that a female judge by the last name of Nelson (first name was Judy I think), was going to be the initial person ruling on the propriety of the lockout - not Judge Doty.

 

Not sure what impact this will have.

 

Well, it means the NFL might stand a chance of getting a fair hearing. With Doty the outcome was certain before the first argument was ever made.

 

ETA - Judge Judy? That would ROCK!

Edited by Bronco Billy
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Well, it means the NFL might stand a chance of getting a fair hearing. With Doty the outcome was certain before the first argument was ever made.

 

ETA - Judge Judy? That would ROCK!

Is your version of "fair" as creative as your version of "equitable". Just curious so I can calibrate my expectations.

 

As far as this action is concerned. It does seem rather ill-advised if they intend to win the hearts of the fans. One would think that, if they were earnest in playing ball, they'd not pull crap like this.

 

Of course, on the other hand, they have been locked out. As soon as the players are drafted, they essentially join the ranks of a group of men who are being barred from their place of work by their employers. Sort of an odd situation to say the least.

Edited by detlef
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Is your version of "fair" as creative as your version of "equitable". Just curious so I can calibrate my expectations.

 

As far as this action is concerned. It does seem rather ill-advised if they intend to win the hearts of the fans. One would think that, if they were earnest in playing ball, they'd not pull crap like this.

 

Of course, on the other hand, they have been locked out. As soon as the players are drafted, they essentially join the ranks of a group of men who are being barred from their place of work by their employers. Sort of an odd situation to say the least.

 

:wacko:

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So the NFLPA is now doing things to punish the fans, all the while telling us that the owners are the bad guys. It's one or the other. If you want to screw the fans over then don't talk about how you care about fans.

 

And how egotistical is it to try and strong arm kids into not going to the draft day. If I was the father of one of the guys invited to New York, I'd personally tell De. Smith to shove it. This is the kids moment. Taking that away from them is bulsh.

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So the NFLPA is now doing things to punish the fans, all the while telling us that the owners are the bad guys. It's one or the other. If you want to screw the fans over then don't talk about how you care about fans.

 

And how egotistical is it to try and strong arm kids into not going to the draft day. If I was the father of one of the guys invited to New York, I'd personally tell De. Smith to shove it. This is the kids moment. Taking that away from them is bulsh.

The "kids" are 22, at least most of them. There might be some that still ask Daddy what to do but I would hope not.

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Judge Nelson presided over Dryer v. NFL, a case dealing with compensation owed to former players for unauthorized use of their identities. So there's some experience with matters dealing with the rights of football players.

 

For what it's worth...

 

Senate confirms Susan Richard Nelson as federal judge in MN

Last update: December 19, 2010 - 8:38 AM

 

Nelson, nominated by President Obama last year, will fill the spot created by U.S. Judge James Rosenbaum, who stepped down from the court after serving since 1985.

 

Nelson, who has been a federal magistrate since 2000, saw her nomination tangled in Senate politics for over a year.

 

According to U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who recommended Nelson, the breakthrough came late Friday night when several judicial nominations, including Nelson’s, were approved by unanimous consent.

 

Nelson practiced law with Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi before becoming a magistrate. She was a member of Mike Ciresi’s legal team that that won the multi-billion-dollar tobacco settlement in 1998.

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So let's assume there is still no agreement between the league and owners by draft day. Let's also assume the NFLPA drops their stance on not wanting players to go because they realize this makes them look terrible in the eyes to fans. Do the fans in Radio City Music Hall boo the entire evening? Do they boo Goodell when he speaks? Do they boo the player when he goes up? Do they boo the runners that bring the pick up representing the teams? The live prime time draft could turn out to be a major PR debacle for all parties for all of the viewers to see.

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As each day passes by, I find myself hoping that this thing drags out for a LONG time. I'm a die hard NFL fan, but I wouldn't be upset if there were no football next season. I mean if there weren't any fans, the owners wouldn't have $$ to pay the players these rediculous amounts of $$, there wouldn't be anyone to watch these overpaid bafoons run up and down a field touching each others rumps from time.

 

Keep pissing off the fans and the NFL & the PLAYERS are going to the the only ones who really lose.

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I agree that this is a really crappy position to put the rookies in. They are asked to give up a very exciting moment in their lives. If they don't listen to the "advice" of this non-union union, then I wonder how the other players will treat them once they are in the league. "Oh yeah, aren't you that primadona who thought he was better than the rest of the players and went to New York to grab some limelight, while the rest of us were banded together sticking it to the man?"

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I could actually see this making the draft viewing experience BETTER. no more inane interviews with a player talking to someone else on his cell phone.

I agree with you though. I mean what's the point of Rodger Goodell walking to the podium when the TV camera has already been focused on someone like Earl Thomas for 3 minutes as he is on his cell phone and his mommy, daddy, and baby momma are sitting there crying.

 

Only then does Rodger Goodell then come out during this nail-biting, edge of my seat moment and say, "With this years 14th overall pick, the Seattle Suck have selected Earl Thomas."

 

SHOCKER!!! I thought they were crying cause their baby wasn't going to become a member of the Seattle Suck.. Man, they really had me fooled!

 

Gimme a break!

Edited by Shorttynaz
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And let's call it what it is, it's a spectacle put on to make money and create interest in the league. It's not to give the kids a shining moment in the sun, it's to begin promotion and sell airspace on ESPN. And, yes, it's in the players as well as the leagues best interest to put on this show because they all stand to profit from it. Well, as long as they're not locked out.

 

Mind you, the league could and should ignore the players on this. I don't watch much of the draft, but when I do, it's not to see some kid in a suit, it's to see the footage and analysis and drama that takes place in seeing who takes who. It would be about 1% less interesting without the players so I could really care less. In general, I'm interested in the players to the extent that they're the best in the world at what they do on the field. I figured out some time ago that the less I pay attention to them outside of that, the more I enjoy the product. Mind you, that is not to say that plenty of them are likely fine, upstanding men.

 

Again though, from a practical standpoint, what happens to the players once they're drafted? Are they locked out as well? That is not a rhetorical question, I'm actually curious.

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I could actually see this making the draft viewing experience BETTER. no more inane interviews with a player talking to someone else on his cell phone. no more agonizing shots of the projected top 10 QB sinking to the end of the first round.

 

+1

 

Although we may miss a natty suit or two.

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Again though, from a practical standpoint, what happens to the players once they're drafted? Are they locked out as well? That is not a rhetorical question, I'm actually curious.

 

IIRC, the team retains their rights, but they aren't put under contract until an agreement is in place. Pretty much wait and go get paid by an agent to represent you, as far as I know.

 

I don't really see what the big deal is. Plenty of rookies opt not to go to New York during a normal draft, so I really don't think they're twisting any arms when these draftees are being asked to be put on display by the NFL at a time when contract signings are suspended indefinitely. Not one of you would feel obligated to go to a work related function under these uncertain lockout conditions, regardless of who you feel is right in this...

 

As for the NFLPA being behind it, I don't really think it should hurt their postion, nor is it that underhanded. It's pretty much the same to me as the lovely letter I got from Roger Goodell the other day to spin his side of the story... It is absolutely to gain leverage, when you have the power to disrupt their pony show draft day, by giving a preview of what may be to come... But then again, I guess I could see how it could backfire too...

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