NFL Owners agree to opt out of labor agreement

[Dragon]

Just saw it on the ESPN Bottom Line. Searching for article now.

[BlueInCanada]

Is this is true, I guess I'll be brushing up on my hockey rules.

[Dragon]

It's true my friend.

 

 

NFL.com Story

 

NFL owners opt out of CBA

National Football League

 

 

The NFL issued the following release this morning:

 

The current Collective Bargaining Agreement, initially negotiated in 1993, has been extended on several occasions, most recently in March 2006. The 2006 extension, which could have continued through the 2012 season, gave both the NFL and the NFLPA an option to shorten the deal by one or two years.

 

NFL clubs today voted unanimously to exercise that option and to continue negotiating a new agreement for the 2011 season and beyond that will work better for both the clubs and the players.

 

What does this mean to fans and games on the field?

Even without another agreement, NFL football will be played without threat of interruption for at least the next three seasons. The 2008 and 2009 seasons will be played with a salary cap. If there is no new agreement before the 2010 season, that season will be played without a salary cap under rules that also limit the free agency rights of the players. If not extended, the agreement would expire at the end of the 2010 league year.

 

We are resolved to do our best to achieve a fair agreement that will allow labor peace to continue through and beyond the 2011 season.

 

What are the issues?

A collective bargaining agreement has to work for both sides. If the agreement provides inadequate incentives to invest in the future, it will not work for management or labor. And, in the context of a professional sports league, if the agreement does not afford all clubs an opportunity to be competitive, the league can lose its appeal.

 

The NFL earns very substantial revenues. But the clubs are obligated by the CBA to spend substantially more than half their revenues – almost $4.5 billion this year alone -- on player costs. In addition, as we have explained to the union, the clubs must spend significant and growing amounts on stadium construction, operations and improvements to respond to the interests and demands of our fans. The current labor agreement does not adequately recognize the costs of generating the revenues of which the players receive the largest share; nor does the agreement recognize that those costs have increased substantially -- and at an ever increasing rate -- in recent years during a difficult economic climate in our country. As a result, under the terms of the current agreement, the clubs’ incentive to invest in the game is threatened.

 

There are substantial other elements of the deal that simply are not working. For example, as interpreted by the courts, the current CBA effectively prohibits the clubs from recouping bonuses paid to players who subsequently breach their player contacts or refuse to perform. That is simply irrational and unfair to both fans and players who honor their contracts. Also irrational is that in the current system some rookies are able to secure contracts that pay them more than top proven veterans.

 

Our objective is to fix these problems in a new CBA, one that will provide adequate incentives to grow the game, ensure the unparalleled competitive balance that has sustained our fans’ interest, and afford the players fair and increasing compensation and benefits.

 

[BIGBLUE01]

You beat me to it, heres the link.

 

http://www.yahoo.com/s/884342

[BlueInCanada]

So I wonder how long the strike is going to last.

 

 

"Tom Brady has been signed by the Redskins for 100 Billion dollars"

[BleedinBlue]

So I wonder how long the strike is going to last.

"Tom Brady has been signed by the Redskins for 100 Billion dollars"

Now if you had said, Oakland....I would've believed it!

[gateb]

First of all there will always be football. Owners simply make too much off of it.

 

The problem is the players know they have that leverage and will hold it on them as long as they want while the owners will try and stick with their plan.

 

It's good that they opted out now because this was an inevitable issue... at least they're going to get a head start on further negotiations.

 

I don't want to imagine the NFL without a cap.

[eagleEye]

sriously dude, these athletes have got to have limits on what they can make. Break it down by postition and set a limit.

[BlueInCanada]

Teams who have owners how are multi-billionaires are going to be stack year after year while other teams are going to be sub-par. I'm not looking forward to this.

[Dragon]

Teams who have owners how are multi-billionaires are going to be stack year after year while other teams are going to be sub-par. I'm not looking forward to this.

It could potentially work both ways. If this past season has taught us anything it's that team chemistry is more important than anything. Look at baseball for instance. The Yankees and Mets are two of the teams in the majors with excessively high payrolls. The Yankees are currently in last place and haven't won the WS since 2000 (When they didn't spend ridiculous money on everyone they come across) while the Mets are the most inconsistent team in baseball and continuously surrounded by controversy. Money can't really buy championships... At least I'm gonna keep telling myself that and hope that we continue to win while using either strategy.

[CrazedDogs]

This doesn't necessarily mean they're going to be salary-cap free in '10 and beyond, it just means they're going to negotiate a new CBA. Basically its the same thing they went through a year or two ago. Nothing to panic about as long as cooler heads - and not Jerry Jones and Dan Snyder - prevail.

[Bigblue25]

Not to panic, this is just a HI i'm Chris Mortensen i'm a douchebag, let me get everyone panicked thing. Basically Baseball sucks and nobody gives a rat ass anymore so ESPN needs any football story they can get. First off a new deal will be reached by 2011, second off not everyone in the NFL all the sudden becomes a free agent. Good thing about this sport most players stay with one team, So if there is no salary cap basically Jerry Jones will be spending millions on wideouts like Donte Stallworth and Troy Williamson

[BIGBLUE01]

Not to panic, this is just a HI i'm Chris Mortensen i'm a douchebag, let me get everyone panicked thing. Basically Baseball sucks and nobody gives a rat ass anymore so ESPN needs any football story they can get. First off a new deal will be reached by 2011, second off not everyone in the NFL all the sudden becomes a free agent. Good thing about this sport most players stay with one team, So if there is no salary cap basically Jerry Jones will be spending millions on wideouts like Donte Stallworth and Troy Williamson

 

Son, please dont use the word Douchebag around your mother.

 

 

 

Get it? BIGBLUE01....Bigblue.........aww never mind.

[Lubeck]

If in two years there is no progress on a new CBA I will worry. Until then I will hope ownership does something about the horrible rookie pay scale and keeps a close eye on the smaller markets remaining competitive. No reason to fret when there is no sign of impending doom.