The Wolf Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6671873 Posted by Adam Schefter one hour ago... An internal battle is percolating at some of the highest NFL circles in which some owners are resisting the labor deal they've been trying to negotiate with the players, according to multiple sources. A handful of NFL owners -- at least two of which are from AFC teams -- believe the parameters of the deal being discussed don't adequately address the original issues the league wanted corrected from the 2006 collective bargaining agreement, according to sources. It is one of the primary reasons team officials are being prepped to stay an extra night in Chicago at Tuesday's owners meetings. It's not to potentially vote on a new collective bargaining agreement, as many suspected; it actually is to try to fend off some of the resistance that is mounting from a handful of NFL owners, according to sources. A pushback from the owners' side has been apparent since March, when commissioner Roger Goodell was authorized in a vote to offer and negotiate whatever he thought was best for the league. Some of this resistance has caused the NFL to adjust its schedule next week, moving up the time of Tuesday's meeting and prepping teams to potentially have to stay into Wednesday. The league is bracing for internal negotiations and lobbying that will impact how soon football could return. The surprise is that many thought this kind of pushback to a deal would occur within the player ranks, not among NFL owners. In reality, the resistance has been there since March, when commissioner Roger Goodell was authorized in a vote of the owners to offer and negotiate whatever he thought was best for the league. After the players decertified, owners were briefed on Goodell's offer and some felt it was too one sided for the players and not strong enough for the teams. Those teams never changed their feelings, and recently they have made this directly known to Goodell, according to a source. Now that the two sides have begun to make some significant progress within the past week, some owners are pushing back against the deal again, according to sources. This subplot comes at a time when the NFL and NFLPA have made considerable progress, much of it on broad-picture items. The two sides, according to a source, have agreed to an unofficial timeline as to how events such as training camp and free agency would play out if the two sides could come to an agreement on the more significant elements of the deal. One NFL executive has been urging the league for weeks that, in order for the full preseason schedule to be played, an agreement between the NFL and NFLPA would have to occur no later than July 14. This would give the courts time to approve the agreement, the NFLPA time to recertify, 32 teams and approximately 2,000 agents the time they would need to be debriefed on the new NFL rules, and players the time they need to get into camp and get in shape for the preseason. There is a lot for both sides to get through. However, none of it can happen without an agreement that is closer than it has been in months but still a ways away on the most significant points -- division of revenues and jurisdiction over the next collective bargaining agreement. Some owners clearly want football and are willing to meet the players' price. But others, remembering 2006, when a CBA that seemingly favored the players was thought to have been rushed through, want to make sure that they don't make the same mistake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco Billy Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 This isn't new. There are a very few owners who bunch up and want to seriously put the screws to the player. Luckily, guys like Brown & Wilson get outvoted since owners only need 24 of the 32 voting for something to pass, and the vast majority of the owners have the long term good of the league in sight. Brown & Wilson will get dragged along kicking & screaming for thier own good despite themselves, like usual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearBroncos Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 And PLEASE be cautious with anything out of Schefter. He's a Denver boy I liked seeing rise up, but he's becoming the Perez Hilton (Queen of media that is) of sport journalism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wolf Posted June 17, 2011 Author Share Posted June 17, 2011 This isn't new. There are a very few owners who bunch up and want to seriously put the screws to the player. Luckily, guys like Brown & Wilson get outvoted since owners only need 24 of the 32 voting for something to pass, and the vast majority of the owners have the long term good of the league in sight. Brown & Wilson will get dragged along kicking & screaming for thier own good despite themselves, like usual. And PLEASE be cautious with anything out of Schefter. He's a Denver boy I liked seeing rise up, but he's becoming the Perez Hilton (Queen of media that is) of sport journalism. Noted, fellas. I Tweeted the following to Schefter just now. Will let all know if he answers: Robert_Iadanza Robert Iadanza, Jr. @ @AdamSchefter By "percolating" do you mean that the majority of owners are resisting or the typical two: Brown and Wilson? Clarify pls? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco Billy Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 And PLEASE be cautious with anything out of Schefter. He's a Denver boy I liked seeing rise up, but he's becoming the Perez Hilton (Queen of media that is) of sport journalism. Shanahan used to use Schefter like a rented mule when he was the Broncos beat writer. Anything he wanted released to the public (and other teams), he went to Schefter who published it verbatim with little to no analytical thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wolf Posted June 17, 2011 Author Share Posted June 17, 2011 Update...no response out of Schefter... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piratesownninjas Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 This is a good thing imo. It tells me that whatever is on the table between the owners and players has the NFLPA satisfied so far, and that a few (as always) owners resist. The Bungles and Bills ownership are clown shoes to begin with. They always vote against whatever is on the table. All the league needs is 24, which I think they will have next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 This is a good thing imo. It tells me that whatever is on the table between the owners and players has the NFLPA satisfied so far, and that a few (as always) owners resist. The Bungles and Bills ownership are clown shoes to begin with. They always vote against whatever is on the table. All the league needs is 24, which I think they will have next week. Agreed. This thing's over by 4th of July. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco Billy Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 The Latest NEW YORK -- Reaching a labor deal soon is hardly a done deal in the NFL. Team owners will be updated on recent negotiations with the players when they meet in Chicago on Tuesday. They have been told to prepare to stay an extra day because of the complexity of the proposals both sides have discussed in sessions over the past three weeks. Getting the required 24 of 32 owners to agree on anything can be difficult, let alone something as complex as a new collective bargaining agreement. And there has been enough pushback from owners familiar with the proposals that progress made recently might not lead to an agreement in the next few weeks. Still, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations, the faction of unhappy owners that exists is not yet large enough to derail an agreement. That could lead to some heavy lobbying in Chicago. The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because details of the negotiations are not supposed to be made public, said a new CBA is not imminent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 The Latest NEW YORK -- Reaching a labor deal soon is hardly a done deal in the NFL. Team owners will be updated on recent negotiations with the players when they meet in Chicago on Tuesday. They have been told to prepare to stay an extra day because of the complexity of the proposals both sides have discussed in sessions over the past three weeks. Getting the required 24 of 32 owners to agree on anything can be difficult, let alone something as complex as a new collective bargaining agreement. And there has been enough pushback from owners familiar with the proposals that progress made recently might not lead to an agreement in the next few weeks. Still, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations, the faction of unhappy owners that exists is not yet large enough to derail an agreement. That could lead to some heavy lobbying in Chicago. The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because details of the negotiations are not supposed to be made public, said a new CBA is not imminent. I think it's over in a week or two and a lot of talk that has come out since the reports of a deal being struck pretty soon is just posturing so whichever side that is getting their way doesn't think they have the upper hand as of yet (probably the players) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ditkaless Wonders Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 If the owners came out and said they were delighted and thrilled with the deal the players likely would feel they are getting ripped off and would not sign off on it. For the players to feel they have gotten something of value out of this exercise they need to believe that the owners have bleed a little. Could this just be smart P.R.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 If the owners came out and said they were delighted and thrilled with the deal the players likely would feel they are getting ripped off and would not sign off on it. For the players to feel they have gotten something of value out of this exercise they need to believe that the owners have bleed a little. Could this just be smart P.R.? exactly what I'm saying....we're closer to a deal than what is suggested, it's all posturing from here until a deal is completed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ditkaless Wonders Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 exactly what I'm saying....we're closer to a deal than what is suggested, it's all posturing from here until a deal is completed... I'm unclear how one gets a read on the difference between reasonable posturing and an actual breakdown of unity. I hope it is just posturing, but if it is outed as posturing the players could be very insulted and they could back away from a deal. This is like trying to bed an ambivilent chick who knows she is out of your league. Any misstep and the deal can be off, even once she is in your bed and nekkid. You are not in until you are in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 I'm unclear how one gets a read on the difference between reasonable posturing and an actual breakdown of unity. I hope it is just posturing, but if it is outed as posturing the players could be very insulted and they could back away from a deal. This is like trying to bed an ambivilent chick who knows she is out of your league. Any misstep and the deal can be off, even once she is in your bed and nekkid. You are not in until you are in. give me one good reason why either side would tell everyone that a deal is almost reached?...Why wouldn't a deal almost be reached when both sides need it?...This lockout isn't as serious as the Baseball lockout of 1994, Football is the top sport right now hands down when it comes down to revenue... a deal will be reached within 2 weeks, period...common sense tells me this and maybe I'm wrong....and if I end up being wrong, then we probably won't have Football at all this year because that will be the tipping point (4th of July) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahawks21 Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 I've suspected all along that at least a group of owners have an agenda that doesn't involve making sure football is played. They want to "win" this thing, not settle. They are more concerned with sticking it to the players at all costs, which includes alienating the fans that feed them. Realistically, they can finish the thing well after July 4 and still force a season to be played. I think "close" means very little in negotiations like these. I'll believe it when I see an agreement, and probably not before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 I've suspected all along that at least a group of owners have an agenda that doesn't involve making sure football is played. They want to "win" this thing, not settle. They are more concerned with sticking it to the players at all costs, which includes alienating the fans that feed them. Realistically, they can finish the thing well after July 4 and still force a season to be played. I think "close" means very little in negotiations like these. I'll believe it when I see an agreement, and probably not before. If this is the case then we're dealing with an extremely arrogant bunch of owners....and I mean arrogance on a level that far exceeds what we've seen thus far... If this drags out until late July and into August, the players should hold out and prevent a season from even happening because the owners apparently don't care anyways.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 If this is the case then we're dealing with an extremely arrogant bunch of owners....and I mean arrogance on a level that far exceeds what we've seen thus far... If this drags out until late July and into August, the players should hold out and prevent a season from even happening because the owners apparently don't care anyways.... That would be fine if "the players" were an amorphous single entity but they aren't. I imagine some are lining up bankruptcy proceedings by now and there is no way the players as individuals are going to back away from a deal they previously thought OK just to posture on the grounds of some imagined insult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 That would be fine if "the players" were an amorphous single entity but they aren't. I imagine some are lining up bankruptcy proceedings by now and there is no way the players as individuals are going to back away from a deal they previously thought OK just to posture on the grounds of some imagined insult. my point was more along the lines of the season being rushed and not showing any benefit for the players as many of them probably are out of shape at this point and would normally be anyways....but the season being rushed benefits nobody and maybe even hurts the owners... like I said...a deal should be reached by July 4th and it could go longer....but I just don't see it dragging out into late July, let alone August.... at this point I don't even care....I haven't followed this much at all and if there was no football, I could care less.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackass Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 my point was more along the lines of the season being rushed and not showing any benefit for the players as many of them probably are out of shape at this point and would normally be anyways....but the season being rushed benefits nobody and maybe even hurts the owners... like I said...a deal should be reached by July 4th and it could go longer....but I just don't see it dragging out into late July, let alone August.... at this point I don't even care....I haven't followed this much at all and if there was no football, I could care less.... I'm not as optimistic as you are, but it's hard to know what's actually going on in the negotiations. that last point i'm starting to come around to. if those ass hats can't figure out how to split $9b, f 'em. if they do miss a significant amount of games, i really hope that fans as a group can figure out how to make them pay for their greed by not forking over their money for tickets - whether that happens, i'm not so sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 I'm not as optimistic as you are, but it's hard to know what's actually going on in the negotiations. that last point i'm starting to come around to. if those ass hats can't figure out how to split $9b, f 'em. if they do miss a significant amount of games, i really hope that fans as a group can figure out how to make them pay for their greed by not forking over their money for tickets - whether that happens, i'm not so sure. if they halt this season over greed then I won't be watching a game, let alone attending.... with everything that's going on in the economy and us being in a recession.....we have grown men bickering over how to split billions of dollars... I could care less Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TitansFan Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 (snip)...I could care less.... (snip)I could care less So you're saying you do care. (Sorry, it's a pet peeve of mine when people say "I could care less" when they actually mean "I couldn't care less") As for the topic at hand, I don't care what the status of the new deal is unless that status is "done." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delusions of grandeur Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 I'm not as optimistic as you are, but it's hard to know what's actually going on in the negotiations. that last point i'm starting to come around to. if those ass hats can't figure out how to split $9b, f 'em. if they do miss a significant amount of games, i really hope that fans as a group can figure out how to make them pay for their greed by not forking over their money for tickets - whether that happens, i'm not so sure. I think there's a significant risk of that and they have to know it... If football is played on time, then everyone will forget about this squabble quickly, but to miss any games would only compound on the resentment they're getting already. It might not hurt ratings as much, but there's a significant risk that people won't be willing to shell out that large sum to go to the games in person. As excited as I am about the Falcons this year, I am already looking at going to a few UGA games instead, and we're surely not alone in handing our hard-earned cash somewhere else besides the NFL this season if games are lost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 So you're saying you do care. (Sorry, it's a pet peeve of mine when people say "I could care less" when they actually mean "I couldn't care less") As for the topic at hand, I don't care what the status of the new deal is unless that status is "done." that's funny, because a pet peeve of mine is people who nitpick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbforbes Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Did anyone else see the NFL commercial during the US Open today? It said something to the effect that we should look forward to the NFL in the fall. To my knowledge, this was the first commercial on months. Am I too hopeful that it is another good sign that the lockout is almost over that the league is throwing advertising money at a large sports event? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackass Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Did anyone else see the NFL commercial during the US Open today? It said something to the effect that we should look forward to the NFL in the fall. To my knowledge, this was the first commercial on months. Am I too hopeful that it is another good sign that the lockout is almost over that the league is throwing advertising money at a large sports event? Did it mention which fall? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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