Maxman Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Dear NFL Fan, When I wrote to you last on behalf of the NFL, we promised you that we would work tirelessly to find a collectively bargained solution to our differences with the players' union. Subsequent to that letter to you, we agreed that the fastest way to a fair agreement was for everyone to work together through a mediation process. For the last three weeks I have personally attended every session of mediation, which is a process our clubs sincerely believe in. Unfortunately, I have to tell you that earlier today the players' union walked away from mediation and collective bargaining and has initiated litigation against the clubs. In an effort to get a fair agreement now, our clubs offered a deal today that was, among other things, designed to have no adverse financial impact on veteran players in the early years, and would have met the players’ financial demands in the latter years of the agreement. The proposal we made included an offer to narrow the player compensation gap that existed in the negotiations by splitting the difference; guarantee a reallocation of savings from first-round rookies to veterans and retirees without negatively affecting compensation for rounds 2-7; no compensation reduction for veterans; implement new year-round health and safety rules; retain the current 16-4 season format for at least two years with any subsequent changes subject to the approval of the league and union; and establish a new legacy fund for retired players ($82 million contributed by the owners over the next two years). It was a deal that offered compromise, and would have ensured the well-being of our players and guaranteed the long-term future for the fans of the great game we all love so much. It was a deal where everyone would prosper. We remain committed to collective bargaining and the federal mediation process until an agreement is reached, and call on the union to return to negotiations immediately. NFL players, clubs, and fans want an agreement. The only place it can be reached is at the bargaining table. While we are disappointed with the union's actions, we remain steadfastly committed to reaching an agreement that serves the best interest of NFL players, clubs and fans, and thank you for your continued support of our League. First and foremost it is your passion for the game that drives us all, and we will not lose sight of this as we continue to work for a deal that works for everyone. Yours, Roger Goodell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gun Of Bavaria Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 LOCKOUT BABY!!! BRING IT ON A year without the NFL and their prima donnas would be a welcome relief. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharrow Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Next September will be a good time for some of you people to get into hockey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisYearsModel Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I got the e-mail too. Wonder who gave Roger my address. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxman Posted March 12, 2011 Author Share Posted March 12, 2011 I got the e-mail too. Wonder who gave Roger my address. I did, sorry about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CTM Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 LOCKOUT BABY!!! BRING IT ON A year without the NFL and their prima donnas would be a welcome relief. yeah, i mean, voluntarily watching a sport is sooooo taxing on me.. thank god someone is rescueing me from this torture Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxman Posted March 12, 2011 Author Share Posted March 12, 2011 LOCKOUT BABY!!! BRING IT ON A year without the NFL and their prima donnas would be a welcome relief. You are rooting for no season? That is an interesting angle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Bit Special Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 You are rooting for no season? That is an interesting angle. I am. Screw the owners and players. I hope the league kills the golden goose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serphnx Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I read the first paragraph before being disgusted. The players should make a copy of that letter and every time Goodell claims he is concerned about player safety when he fines players they should throw that in his face. He clearly considers the players an enemy and works only for the owners. I thought the role of the commissioner was that of an impartial neutral party that kept both sides in line and was fair to them. Obviously if you are negotiation on behalf of the owners you have no rights to punish the players and levy fines. Not anymore than whatever the owners of the specific teams would want to impose, who should override you. If the NFL will have this tool as commissioner for the 2011 season I DO NOT WANT a 2011 season. FIRE THIS IDIOT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joebabyny Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 You are rooting for no season? That is an interesting angle. I know right. I mean, jets have a promising new coah, promising young qb, a core of great young players, and the only team to make it to the conference championship the last 2 years in a row. Pretty much the most promise the jets have shown since Joe Willy made a prediction by a pool. Yeah, perfect time to be welcoming a strike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visajets Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 LOCKOUT BABY!!! BRING IT ON A year without the NFL and their prima donnas would be a welcome relief. WOW I feel so much more at ease and safer knowing you are a moderator here. This is a football site with NYJETS fans and you are hapy about a lockout---? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BronxBomberJet Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I blame the owners here.. It's a multi billion dollar business, and a money making machine, and the owners think they are the ones who are getting screwed? The players aren't asking for more, but the owners are! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybroome Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I blame the owners here.. It's a multi billion dollar business, and a money making machine, and the owners think they are the ones who are getting screwed? The players aren't asking for more, but the owners are! The owners danced around opening their books, and now they will pay the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BronxBomberJet Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 The owners danced around opening their books, and now they will pay the price. I certainly hope so!! Yeah, if they're struggling so much, then open the friggin books! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelticwizard Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Ummmm, GOB, don't the police have a union where you work? Why this total pro-management stance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentos Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Only if they put a stop to their stupid OT and points system. I like ties. Play five minute OTs and that's it. You either get a win, loss, or tie. No shootouts. None of that losing in overtime but you still get a point crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Crusher Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I know right. I mean, jets have a promising new coah, promising young qb, a core of great young players, and the only team to make it to the conference championship the last 2 years in a row. Pretty much the most promise the jets have shown since Joe Willy made a prediction by a pool. Yeah, perfect time to be welcoming a strike. Yeah and with games in Washington and Baltimore i was a shoe in for the "fat pig of the year" award at Joe baby's tailgating. **** YOU ROGER!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larz Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I'm shocked the players got all of that and walked away they are going after the cap, the draft, the tag, all of that would be bad for the game and bad for fans root for the owners here so jerry jones doesn't wind up the steinbrenner of football Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFSIKH Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I blame the owners here.. It's a multi billion dollar business, and a money making machine, and the owners think they are the ones who are getting screwed? The players aren't asking for more, but the owners are! And you have 1500+ players who earn a minimum $325K a year and they feel they are getting screwed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larz Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 LOCKOUT BABY!!! BRING IT ON A year without the NFL and their prima donnas would be a welcome relief. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/football/nfl/03/12/nfl.locks.out.players.ap/?eref=sihp WASHINGTON (AP) -- Unable to decide how to divvy up $9 billion a year, NFL owners and players put the country's most popular sport in limbo Friday by breaking off labor negotiations hours before their contract expired. The union decertified; the league imposed a lockout. Ten players, including MVP quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, sued the owners in federal court in Minneapolis. Then, at midnight, the owners locked out the players -- signaling the NFL's first work stoppage since 1987. "We are locked out," union president and former player Kevin Mawae said in a text message to The Associated Press. "We were informed today that players are no longer welcome at team facilities." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nycdan Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/football/nfl/03/12/nfl.locks.out.players.ap/?eref=sihp WASHINGTON (AP) -- Unable to decide how to divvy up $9 billion a year, NFL owners and players put the country's most popular sport in limbo Friday by breaking off labor negotiations hours before their contract expired. The union decertified; the league imposed a lockout. Ten players, including MVP quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, sued the owners in federal court in Minneapolis. Then, at midnight, the owners locked out the players -- signaling the NFL's first work stoppage since 1987. "We are locked out," union president and former player Kevin Mawae said in a text message to The Associated Press. "We were informed today that players are no longer welcome at team facilities." If the owners hold open tryouts, I think Baumer's Jets are ready to come in as a group and lead the Jets to victory! As long as those @#$%! Ryans don't end up in NE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxman Posted March 12, 2011 Author Share Posted March 12, 2011 If the owners hold open tryouts, I think Baumer's Jets are ready to come in as a group and lead the Jets to victory! As long as those @#$%! Ryans don't end up in NE. LOL!!! Someone go get Keanu off his boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxman Posted March 12, 2011 Author Share Posted March 12, 2011 I know right. I mean, jets have a promising new coah, promising young qb, a core of great young players, and the only team to make it to the conference championship the last 2 years in a row. Pretty much the most promise the jets have shown since Joe Willy made a prediction by a pool. Yeah, perfect time to be welcoming a strike. Exactly. The Jets have continuity. All the teams with no coaches\coordinators are going to be crippled by this lockout. This is why I was glad Schotty was back for another year. Continuity is king this year.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxman Posted March 12, 2011 Author Share Posted March 12, 2011 Ummmm, GOB, don't the police have a union where you work? Why this total pro-management stance? I don't think his stance is pro-management. I think he hates everyone, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxman Posted March 12, 2011 Author Share Posted March 12, 2011 Yeah and with games in Washington and Baltimore i was a shoe in for the "fat pig of the year" award at Joe baby's tailgating. **** YOU ROGER!!! There will be games. Tell your future diabetic coma that it will be okay. Joe will be in your town with his canoli's.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slats Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 And you have 1500+ players who earn a minimum $325K a year and they feel they are getting screwed. The players aren't striking. The owners canceled their previous agreement and are now locking them out. At this point, they're not earning a minimum of $325K a year, they're all potentially earning a minimum of $0 this year. So yeah, I think they probably feel like the owners are trying to screw them. The players deserve the lion's share of the proceeds. Unlike other businesses that people will sometimes try to compare the NFL to, the players are the product. Jerry Jones' new stadium would not be much of an attraction hosting the UFL, and those $9 hot dogs would taste worse than ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nycdan Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 The players aren't striking. The owners canceled their previous agreement and are now locking them out. At this point, they're not earning a minimum of $325K a year, they're all potentially earning a minimum of $0 this year. So yeah, I think they probably feel like the owners are trying to screw them. The players deserve the lion's share of the proceeds. Unlike other businesses that people will sometimes try to compare the NFL to, the players are the product. Jerry Jones' new stadium would not be much of an attraction hosting the UFL, and those $9 hot dogs would taste worse than ever. The players are partly the product, but not any specific set of players. Twenty years ago, you couldn't imagine the NFL without Jerry Rice, Bruce Smith, John Elway, etc... The NFL is doing just fine now without those guys because...well they're in their 40s and 50s and we have new players now. And so it goes. We don't NEED Manning, or Revis, or any specific player to enjoy football. Heck, many of us love college football. Players come and go but we love the GAME. The NFLPA has always thrown the retirees under the bus to make sure the rookies and top 10% of the players could earn nearly limitless salaries even under the cap. Sooner of later, it had to catch up with them. In 1987 the players earning $150k/year were fighting for the right for Jim Kelly and Joe Montana to earn $1M/year. Today they're earning $450k/year and fighting for Peyton and Tom to earn over $20M/year while one of them is publicly partying in Rio with a ponytail. That's got to sit real well. So imagine an NFL where every single current player was locked out. Year 1 would be bad...even awful, although possibly entertaining in a comical way and yet most of us would watch at least a few games. Then, college players with the option of joining the NFL or getting a 'real' job, with no reason to be loyal to a defunct union, would all play. By the end of year 2, most former players would be back, making their millions and all would be well. The courts will prevent this from happening, but perhaps it would be the best thing in the long term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nycdan Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 And a question to all the pro-union guys and gals... Do any of you really believe that the issues in this case have ANY bearing on the issues facing your unions out there? I ask this legitimately. I see pro sports unions as complete aberrations that don't have any similarities to other unions out there but perhaps I'm not seeing all the points. Would busting the NFLPA really weaken the Police and Teachers unions in any meaningful way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slats Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 The players are partly the product, but not any specific set of players. Twenty years ago, you couldn't imagine the NFL without Jerry Rice, Bruce Smith, John Elway, etc... The NFL is doing just fine now without those guys because...well they're in their 40s and 50s and we have new players now. And so it goes. We don't NEED Manning, or Revis, or any specific player to enjoy football. Heck, many of us love college football. Players come and go but we love the GAME. The NFLPA has always thrown the retirees under the bus to make sure the rookies and top 10% of the players could earn nearly limitless salaries even under the cap. Sooner of later, it had to catch up with them. So imagine an NFL where every single current player was locked out. Year 1 would be bad...even awful, although possibly entertaining in a comical way and yet most of us would watch at least a few games. Then, college players with the option of joining the NFL or getting a 'real' job, with no reason to be loyal to a defunct union, would all play. By the end of year 2, most former players would be back, making their millions and all would be well. The courts will prevent this from happening, but perhaps it would be the best thing in the long term. Perhaps the union hasn't done enough for retirees (no union ever does), but they've certainly done more than the league would've done on their own. Rookie salaries drive veteran salaries, so it's not surprising that the union would be resistant to a rookie cap. Sam Bradford's contract is what Manning and Brady can point to when redoing their own deals. Your proposal makes no sense, and makes no sense to the owners. They want the cream of the crop, but they want them on their terms. Imagine instead, a collective of NFLPA members putting together their own league and playing games in rented college stadiums around the country. Which league would be more likely to draw fan support? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nycdan Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Perhaps the union hasn't done enough for retirees (no union ever does), but they've certainly done more than the league would've done on their own. Rookie salaries drive veteran salaries, so it's not surprising that the union would be resistant to a rookie cap. Sam Bradford's contract is what Manning and Brady can point to when redoing their own deals. Your proposal makes no sense, and makes no sense to the owners. They want the cream of the crop, but they want them on their terms. Imagine instead, a collective of NFLPA members putting together their own league and playing games in rented college stadiums around the country. Which league would be more likely to draw fan support? Been talked about before but logistically impossible to really put together in a single off-season. Of course the owners want the stars, but does the guy making $550,000 for maybe the next 3 years before he is out of the game and working for 15% of that salary afterwards really want to miss a year of that income to support Peyton's right to earn $22M/year instead of $18M/year or Bradford's right to earn the same before he even plays a snap? That's where it gets sticky for the players cohesiveness. I think the players are conceding somewhat on the rookie cap because it is probably more problematic for their own ability to stay united than anything else. I agree that the NFLPA and league need to work together better to take care of retirees. Neither side gets high ground there. And can we agree that any system where Manning needs a rookie salary to set the boundaries for his own is stupid beyond the ability of words to describe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faba Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 At least Roger will have to take a $1 salary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugg Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 So on the day of the worst natural disaster in our lifetimes, the billionaire NFL owners decide they aren't making enough money in a $9 billion industry. Just wonderful. Demaurice Smith's ego is as big as all getout, but this is on the owners and richie rich country club spoiled brat Roger Goodell. There is the makings of a deal here, but these morons would rather stand on their soapboxes than simply talk it out. Instead of either of these tools talking to the media or issuing bullsh*t whiny blast emails, how about talking to each other in a hotel conference room until you get it done? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dude Love Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Unable to decide how to divvy up $9 billion a year... I wish me and my family and friends had that problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetsFanInDenver Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 The best thing to happen to NHL. And even the NBA.... Oh wait! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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