Gooddell: Time Looms to Cancel First NFL Preseason Game

[flgreen]

Goodell: Time looms to cancel first NFL preseason game

May

25

5/25/2011 4:14:14 PM

Sean Leahy of USA Today reports NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made clear on Wednesday that a decision for him to start cancelling preseason games because of the lockout is approaching.

"We're getting close enough where those will have to be considerations," Goodell said of considering cancelling preseason games. "Obviously we would prefer to get a negotiated agreement so we don't have to make those decisions."

Goodell reiterated that the more time the lockout lasts, the harder it will be for a deal to be reached.

"The longer it goes the more damage is done to the game and the more revenue's down and that means less money that can be divided between the parties," Goodell said.

[JetsFanInDenver]

This makes Goddell sound very desperate. The lockout has not gone according to plan for the owners. They started with thinking they had all the leverage and now they are the court's mercy.

On another note, Its a great time for other professional sports like MLB & NHL to make a killing. It would be a good time to sway a few fans their way away from the NFL. And yet I see no extra marketing effort over here from the Rockies to do just that.

[joebabyny]

This makes Goddell sound very desperate. The lockout has not gone according to plan for the owners. They started with thinking they had all the leverage and now they are the court's mercy.

On another note, Its a great time for other professional sports like MLB & NHL to make a killing. It would be a good time to sway a few fans their way away from the NFL. And yet I see no extra marketing effort over here from the Rockies to do just that.

I don't know that it makes him sound desperate at all. I think it is making him sound more resolved than anything, letting the players know that this is going the wrong way and games will start to be canceled. I highly doubt any owners are borrowing a few hundred thousand at 20-30% interest to keep them afloat until a deal is reached the way we are reading some players are.

[slats]

I don't know who the hell Goodell is trying to appeal to here. Most fans don't give a crap about the preseason - in fact season ticket holders will probably be happy to not have to pay for them - and the players don't start cashing checks until the regular season starts.

The preseason's a non-issue for just about everyone but the owners, who use them to rip off their most loyal fans.

What a tool this guy is. Haha!

[T0mShane]

I don't know who the hell Goodell is trying to appeal to here. Most fans don't give a crap about the preseason - in fact season ticket holders will probably be happy to not have to pay for them - and the players don't start cashing checks until the regular season starts.

The preseason's a non-issue for just about everyone but the owners, who use them to rip off their most loyal fans.

What a tool this guy is. Haha!

+1

Poor Roger, trying so hard to appeal to those filthy animals that simply "play" and "watch" the game. Why can't they just eat cake? Everybody likes cake.

[Klecko73isGod]

Goodell: Time looms to cancel first NFL preseason game

May

25

5/25/2011 4:14:14 PM

Sean Leahy of USA Today reports NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made clear on Wednesday that a decision for him to start cancelling preseason games because of the lockout is approaching.

"We're getting close enough where those will have to be considerations," Goodell said of considering cancelling preseason games. "Obviously we would prefer to get a negotiated agreement so we don't have to make those decisions."

Goodell reiterated that the more time the lockout lasts, the harder it will be for a deal to be reached.

"The longer it goes the more damage is done to the game and the more revenue's down and that means less money that can be divided between the parties," Goodell said.

What a moronic, hamfisted attempt to scare the players! This guy is in way over his head. DeMaurice Smith has to be laughing at this clown.

Tags would have had a deal done by now. Tags would have had them negotiating a year and a half ago. No way would he have waited until a week before the CBA expired to start negotiations like this asshead Goodell.

[Smashmouth]

I don't know who the hell Goodell is trying to appeal to here. Most fans don't give a crap about the preseason - in fact season ticket holders will probably be happy to not have to pay for them - and the players don't start cashing checks until the regular season starts.

The preseason's a non-issue for just about everyone but the owners, who use them to rip off their most loyal fans.

What a tool this guy is. Haha!

Slats I love the preseason. Its a nice time to see the rookies and FA signings take the field. I really enjoy watching those guys play to see how they will do at the next level, after all, pre season is a fairly good notch above the college game. Its also a fun time because football is starting up again. I love to read the news out of training camp. When it comes to Goodell I see no reason for him to start cancelling games until it gets to the point actual training camp was scheduled to begin. Players are working out and staying in shape for the most part (at least the dedicated ones are). I think as soon as we get into what would have been the first week of TC thats when games should start to be cancelled and I think were what 3 1/2 to 4 weeks away from that?? I think Goodell is an idiot and should be removed from his position.

[Matt39]

I couldn't care less about preseason football...but if there's a season minus training camp they might as well cancel the entire thing. That would be ugly.

[LWC611]

I could care less about preseason football...but if there's a season minus training camp they might as well cancel the entire thing. That would be ugly.

Probably unsafe as well. Football without proper preparation, is a foolish idea.

[Lil Bit Special]

Goodell: Time looms to cancel first NFL preseason game

May

25

5/25/2011 4:14:14 PM

Sean Leahy of USA Today reports NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made clear on Wednesday that a decision for him to start cancelling preseason games because of the lockout is approaching.

"We're getting close enough where those will have to be considerations," Goodell said of considering cancelling preseason games. "Obviously we would prefer to get a negotiated agreement so we don't have to make those decisions."

Goodell reiterated that the more time the lockout lasts, the harder it will be for a deal to be reached.

"The longer it goes the more damage is done to the game and the more revenue's down and that means less money that can be divided between the parties," Goodell said.

Good. Cancel the whole thing Roger. Cancel the entire season. Kill the Golden Goose. Tarnish your legacy. Cause no matter what, come Sunday Sept 11th my life will go on whether you are playing football or not. Football is a distraction. I'll find plenty of other distractions to fill my Sunday's with.

[PatriotReign37]

This makes Goddell sound very desperate. The lockout has not gone according to plan for the owners. They started with thinking they had all the leverage and now they are the court's mercy.

On another note, Its a great time for other professional sports like MLB & NHL to make a killing. It would be a good time to sway a few fans their way away from the NFL. And yet I see no extra marketing effort over here from the Rockies to do just that.

On the contrary, the lockout has gone exactly the way the owners had thought it would.Lose in Minnesota and win in St Louis. Its boiled down to be a battle of attrition. The players (not all) are hanging on by a thread with no income. They are used to a certain lifestyle thats very expensive and the owners know that. The longer this draws out, the worse it is for the players and their solidarity to fight the owners.

If the NFL season was canceled (and it wont be) I think that most NFL fans will gravitate towards college football.

[PatriotReign37]

What a moronic, hamfisted attempt to scare the players! This guy is in way over his head. DeMaurice Smith has to be laughing at this clown.

Tags would have had a deal done by now. Tags would have had them negotiating a year and a half ago. No way would he have waited until a week before the CBA expired to start negotiations like this asshead Goodell.

Not even Tags could deal with Doosh Maurice.

[Klecko73isGod]

Not even Tags could deal with Doosh Maurice.

Tags could make a wolverine purr.

[Matt39]

On the contrary, the lockout has gone exactly the way the owners had thought it would.Lose in Minnesota and win in St Louis. Its boiled down to be a battle of attrition. The players (not all) are hanging on by a thread with no income. They are used to a certain lifestyle thats very expensive and the owners know that. The longer this draws out, the worse it is for the players and their solidarity to fight the owners.

If the NFL season was canceled (and it wont be) I think that most NFL fans will gravitate towards college football.

Can you back this up with facts?

[faba]

As much as I love football. I will survive without it if it comes to that-will actually save me nice amount of money

[PatriotReign37]

Can you back this up with facts?

Why else would some players get payday loans with up to 30% interest?

If the lockout is upheld by the St Louis Appeals court next ruling you will see the players fold - because of money.

[Klecko73isGod]

Why else would some players get payday loans with up to 30% interest?

If the lockout is upheld by the St Louis Appeals court next ruling you will see the players fold - because of money.

I don't think the entire union is going to fold because a handful of idiots can't manage their money.

[T0mShane]

On the contrary, the lockout has gone exactly the way the owners had thought it would.Lose in Minnesota and win in St Louis. Its boiled down to be a battle of attrition. The players (not all) are hanging on by a thread with no income. They are used to a certain lifestyle thats very expensive and the owners know that. The longer this draws out, the worse it is for the players and their solidarity to fight the owners.

If the NFL season was canceled (and it wont be) I think that most NFL fans will gravitate towards college football.

Not about the courts, dude. The only thing the courts provide is the leverage that the players use where they rightly point out that the NFL operates outside the constraints of legal federal labor practices. It's just a sword they want to dangle over the table to get the owners to deal in good faith, otherwise, they'd be steamrolled. Having the courts (essentially) back them on this point keeps them from being steamrolled. That Bush's boys in the 8th Circuit chose to extend the lockout does little to affect the fact that there's a de facto antitrust exemption in place for the owners. Look at what the NBAPA did already--they went right to the NLRB, skipping all the nonsense that the owners are putting the NFL through. That's skipping over mommy and going straight to daddy to lower the hammer.

Bottom line, there is no picket line for players to cross, and there's no democracy within the NFLPA(ish), so it doesn't matter if a handful of lower-rung guys start whining that they had their Escalades repo'ed. The lockout won't be lifted until DeMaurice puts his signature on a contract, and that's not happening anytime soon. As far as attrition, you're right that the players have less to work with--but that gets less and less true as the season gets closer and owners start missing their revenues while the bills start to roll in for the debt service on stadiums that they're keeping dark. If you think the dissension will get ugly for the players in two months, wait until Jerry Richardson and Ralph Wilson start having to reach into their personal bank accounts to pay the millions of dollars in expenses to hold onto their empty stadiums. These owners hate each other already. Watch what happens to them when they start losing their shirts.

[jason423]

I actually think this was a smart ploy by him. Sure nobody watches the preseason games and people hate to pay for them, but right now the fans will go insane if they turn on ESPN and see the headline that week 1 of the preseason has been cancelled, even if they wouldnt have watched 5 minutes of a preseason game this year. It makes the whole thought of no NFL more of a reality. JMO, but I think D. Smith comes off like a total fool to the fans because of the tact he took and has swung the public opinion either to the owners or to a neutral corner when it should have been on the players side. All the rhetoric about players starving and the deadly and short nature of the game followed by countless lawsuits simply cant make any sense to the guy working a crummy 25-30K job breathing in all kinds of chemicals and other garbage that are going to beat him up in his life too. And its going to take him 10 years to make what an NFL player makes in 1. Statements like the one Goodell is making are basically showing the NFL in a good light. Saying we want to deal and this guy wont come to the table. All it does is swing more of the public sentiment to the owners.

[PatriotReign37]

I don't think the entire union is going to fold because a handful of idiots can't manage their money.

The NFLPA union doesnt exist anymore.

A spokesperson for the NFLPA declined comment on the high-risk loans players are securing. But at a time when the players are engaged in a financial war of attrition with the owners, the fact that players are already in need of funding -- after only one month of lockout negotiations -- appears troubling. And the longer the lockout drags on, the greater the percentage of players who will aggressively seek out needed revenue. And that aggressive pursuit could eventually have long-term consequences.

http://www.thepostgame.com/features/201104/tpg-exclusive-cash-strapped-nfl-players-seeking-high-risk-lockout-loans

[The Crusher]

+1

Poor Roger, trying so hard to appeal to those filthy animals that simply "play" and "watch" the game. Why can't they just eat cake? Everybody likes cake.

Well said, well said.

[Lil Bit Special]

I actually think this was a smart ploy by him. Sure nobody watches the preseason games and people hate to pay for them, but right now the fans will go insane if they turn on ESPN and see the headline that week 1 of the preseason has been cancelled, even if they wouldnt have watched 5 minutes of a preseason game this year. It makes the whole thought of no NFL more of a reality. JMO, but I think D. Smith comes off like a total fool to the fans because of the tact he took and has swung the public opinion either to the owners or to a neutral corner when it should have been on the players side. All the rhetoric about players starving and the deadly and short nature of the game followed by countless lawsuits simply cant make any sense to the guy working a crummy 25-30K job breathing in all kinds of chemicals and other garbage that are going to beat him up in his life too. And its going to take him 10 years to make what an NFL player makes in 1. Statements like the one Goodell is making are basically showing the NFL in a good light. Saying we want to deal and this guy wont come to the table. All it does is swing more of the public sentiment to the owners.

My hope is fans realize both sides are effing them and give both sides the middle finger and not care if there is football or not.

[PatriotReign37]

Not about the courts, dude. The only thing the courts provide is the leverage that the players use where they rightly point out that the NFL operates outside the constraints of legal federal labor practices. It's just a sword they want to dangle over the table to get the owners to deal in good faith,

Deal in good faith. I needed a laugh.

Are the players dealing in good faith? In court?

otherwise, they'd be steamrolled. Having the courts (essentially) back them on this point keeps them from being steamrolled.

They werent steamrolled in 2006 when Upshaw basically secured them 60% of NFL revenue after some expenses were taken off the top. The owners got corn holed in that deal, but they appeased the NFLPA to keep the NFL going.

That Bush's boys in the 8th Circuit chose to extend the lockout does little to affect the fact that there's a de facto antitrust exemption in place for the owners. Look at what the NBAPA did already--they went right to the NLRB, skipping all the nonsense that the owners are putting the NFL through. That's skipping over mommy and going straight to daddy to lower the hammer.

So, you dont like the NFL CBA and want the NFL to look like the NBA. 17 teams are losing money in the NBA and they are heading for a lockout.

The NBA has never been more unpopular and I dont know why youd want the NFL to follow their shyty business model.

Bottom line, there is no picket line for players to cross, and there's no democracy within the NFLPA(ish), so it doesn't matter if a handful of lower-rung guys start whining that they had their Escalades repo'ed. The lockout won't be lifted until DeMaurice puts his signature on a contract, and that's not happening anytime soon. As far as attrition, you're right that the players have less to work with--but that gets less and less true as the season gets closer and owners start missing their revenues while the bills start to roll in for the debt service on stadiums that they're keeping dark. If you think the dissension will get ugly for the players in two months, wait until Jerry Richardson and Ralph Wilson start having to reach into their personal bank accounts to pay the millions of dollars in expenses to hold onto their empty stadiums. These owners hate each other already. Watch what happens to them when they start losing their shirts.

You forget that the owners have one more card to play. They can simply closed down and go out of business in lieu of losing money. The Bills have one foot in the grave already. Some owners who own their stadiums will just have to find other ways to fill them. Its every business owners right to go out of business and it will all be brought on by the players, D Smith and Tom Shane.

[T0mShane]

I actually think this was a smart ploy by him. Sure nobody watches the preseason games and people hate to pay for them, but right now the fans will go insane if they turn on ESPN and see the headline that week 1 of the preseason has been cancelled, even if they wouldnt have watched 5 minutes of a preseason game this year. It makes the whole thought of no NFL more of a reality. JMO, but I think D. Smith comes off like a total fool to the fans because of the tact he took and has swung the public opinion either to the owners or to a neutral corner when it should have been on the players side. All the rhetoric about players starving and the deadly and short nature of the game followed by countless lawsuits simply cant make any sense to the guy working a crummy 25-30K job breathing in all kinds of chemicals and other garbage that are going to beat him up in his life too. And its going to take him 10 years to make what an NFL player makes in 1. Statements like the one Goodell is making are basically showing the NFL in a good light. Saying we want to deal and this guy wont come to the table. All it does is swing more of the public sentiment to the owners.

As one of those guys who works with chemicals and is going to die young and painfully due to my work conditions, I've found the players' position to be a pretty easy sell. If my boss walked up to us and told us that he wants to slash our salaries despite the company making record profits, we'd lynch him.

[T0mShane]

I actually think this was a smart ploy by him. Sure nobody watches the preseason games and people hate to pay for them, but right now the fans will go insane if they turn on ESPN and see the headline that week 1 of the preseason has been cancelled, even if they wouldnt have watched 5 minutes of a preseason game this year. It makes the whole thought of no NFL more of a reality. JMO, but I think D. Smith comes off like a total fool to the fans because of the tact he took and has swung the public opinion either to the owners or to a neutral corner when it should have been on the players side. All the rhetoric about players starving and the deadly and short nature of the game followed by countless lawsuits simply cant make any sense to the guy working a crummy 25-30K job breathing in all kinds of chemicals and other garbage that are going to beat him up in his life too. And its going to take him 10 years to make what an NFL player makes in 1. Statements like the one Goodell is making are basically showing the NFL in a good light. Saying we want to deal and this guy wont come to the table. All it does is swing more of the public sentiment to the owners.

As one of those guys who works with chemicals and is going to die young and painfully due to my work conditions, I've found the players' position to be a pretty easy sell. If my boss walked up to us and told us that he wants to slash our salaries despite the company making record profits, we'd lynch him.

[ECURB]

To comment on any of this is silly... all we get is spun facts from both sides which are then double spun by the media..

Lets not act like we have any real idea of what is going on here.

[Maxman]

Good. Cancel the whole thing Roger. Cancel the entire season. Kill the Golden Goose. Tarnish your legacy. Cause no matter what, come Sunday Sept 11th my life will go on whether you are playing football or not. Football is a distraction. I'll find plenty of other distractions to fill my Sunday's with.

Like what?

[Maxman]

To comment on any of this is silly... all we get is spun facts from both sides which are then double spun by the media..

Lets not act like we have any real idea of what is going on here.

We have no idea what is going on here? The owners locked out the players. The two sides are having a hard time agreeing to a new CBA. And although there is no guarantee of games being played, the Jets asked us for 50% of our season ticket money.

That seems to be what's going on here.

[Maxman]

To comment on any of this is silly... all we get is spun facts from both sides which are then double spun by the media..

Lets not act like we have any real idea of what is going on here.

Also, how is commenting on this silly? That part I don't get.

[ECURB]

Also, how is commenting on this silly? That part I don't get.

It is silly because we are commenting on planted facts and spun truths... the reality is we know nothing about what the owners/players are actually talking/fighting about. Sure we see the big headlines in court and can get an idea but the pool we are getting facts from is full of BS from both sides.

It has turned into a presidential campaign... and both sides are just lying to win the public vote.

[T0mShane]

It is silly because we are commenting on planted facts and spun truths... the reality is we know nothing about what the owners/players are actually talking/fighting about. Sure we see the big headlines in court and can get an idea but the pool we are getting facts from is full of BS from both sides.

It has turned into a presidential campaign... and both sides are just lying to win the public vote.

[Maxman]

It is silly because we are commenting on planted facts and spun truths... the reality is we know nothing about what the owners/players are actually talking/fighting about. Sure we see the big headlines in court and can get an idea but the pool we are getting facts from is full of BS from both sides.

It has turned into a presidential campaign... and both sides are just lying to win the public vote.

The commish said preseason games may be canceled. That is true, if they don't agree to a new contract relatively soon, games will be canceled.

So we should do what? Not talk about it until they tell us definitively?

[Maxman]

It is silly because we are commenting on planted facts and spun truths... the reality is we know nothing about what the owners/players are actually talking/fighting about. Sure we see the big headlines in court and can get an idea but the pool we are getting facts from is full of BS from both sides.

It has turned into a presidential campaign... and both sides are just lying to win the public vote.

Also, you do admit that the owners are indeed lying?

[ECURB]

No conspiracy...

The commish said preseason games may be canceled. That is true, if they don't agree to a new contract relatively soon, games will be canceled.

So we should do what? Not talk about it until they tell us definitively?

We can talk about it I guess... but announcing it at the time he did was a strategic move... not actual news really either as it is common sense that would happen.

Also, you do admit that the owners are indeed lying?

Yes, players too. Both sides are lying to get what they want. It is literally turning into an election, one side is waiting for the public to jump on board.

[Bugg]

What a moronic, hamfisted attempt to scare the players! This guy is in way over his head. DeMaurice Smith has to be laughing at this clown.

Tags would have had a deal done by now. Tags would have had them negotiating a year and a half ago. No way would he have waited until a week before the CBA expired to start negotiations like this asshead Goodell.

If Goodell really wanted to settle this, he could lift the lockout and then pick up the phone and call Smith for a negotiation in a NY or DC hotel in the next 5 minutes. Heck, even one of his owners thinks this lockout is bullsh*t-

"Case in point, check out Jim Irsay's Tweet today:

Jeff Saturday and I could get this thing done on cocktail napkins over a long lunch at Rick's Boatyard. It's not that hard!"