Injunction Junction

[RashanGary]

Well, that's a good deal I can see why they want to keep it.

[SkinBasket]

She was sort of trying to reasonably mediate and if that's a part of the court's power in these situations, OK, but I don't see a law being directly enforced.

Like I said, it's a wonderful time to be aligned with the progressive agenda and have your case before a progressive, activist judiciary. As their comrades in the Senate said last spring:

"There ain’t no rules around here — we’re trying to accomplish something. And therefore, when the deal goes down, all this talk about rules, we make ‘em up as we go along." -Democrat Rep Alcee Hastings, impeached U.S. District Judge and current member of the House Rules Committee speaking on Obamacare.

[SkinBasket]

MINNEAPOLIS -- The federal judge who lifted the NFL lockout has denied the league's request to put her ruling on hold.

U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson wrote late Wednesday that the NFL "has not met its burden for a stay pending appeal, expedited or otherwise."

The league wanted Nelson to keep the lockout in place while it appeals her ruling, arguing that starting free agency and other football activities before there's clarity on the status of this case could be damaging to the league's competitive balance and general operations.

Players wrote to the judge earlier Wednesday to argue against the league's request for a stay, contending that a continuation of the lockout harms the NFL as much as it does the players.

Like I said... better to sink the ship. What's so pressing, other than her ego, that her ruling can't wait until the appeal? What. A. Clusterfuck.

[bobblehead]

The players are offering up their preferred avenue of negotiation. Why don't the owners just show good faith and negotiate on the players terms? Lift the silly lockout. Go back to last years rules and go with the court assisted negotiation. Why are these guys being so unreasonable about this negotiation? The owners don't want to get a deal done. The players have the table all set, all they need is for teh other side to sit down and start working out the deal.


Isn't that funny how one silly little detail like financial transparency can make such a difference in who's willing to sit an talk?

So do you side with the people who will exhaust all resources hiding the truth or the people who will exhaust all resources finding it? That's the core issue here. That's why the owners are all of a sudden so unwilling to sit down and talk and why the players weren't willing before.

Through all the legal hoops and business mumbo jumbo, this is actually very simple.

Financial honesty.

I'll bet the deals done within 2 months of it being provided. You wanna take that bet, skin?

JH, I hope someday you sacrifice everything and work 70 hours a week to build a successful business. I hope you are finally making serious cash for your time and investment. Then at that point I hope the employees that you hired (long after the risk was gone) turn around and find a sympathetic judge to rule that you have to give them whatever they ask for because they are doing the work on the ground. At that point you will understand why many of us side with the owners on this one.

[bobblehead]

If the courts rule against them, they'll have to take whatevers offered or leave. If not, well, they don't have to worry about that. The owners do.

Actually when they decertified the union they declared that they had to take what the owners offered or leave.

[RashanGary]

My grandpa was a farmer turned machinist (both his own businesses.) He worked his ass off, but that doesn't mean he should be able to skirt anti-trust laws or get whatever he wanted if he had a court battle.

I think conservatives ignore the horrible labor practices that went on before these silly laws were enacted and enforced. The owners don't need protection. They're rich and powerful. Without laws the rich would control the world. The laws are there to protect the workers. If that makes it a good time to be in progressive America, I guess I'm glad I'm here. You guys can leave if it's so bad for you. I really don't know why you're still here. There are plenty of great conservative republics where you all could earn the fortunes you deserve. Go there. See how you fare.

[SkinBasket]

I think conservatives ignore the horrible labor practices that went on before these silly laws were enacted and enforced. The owners don't need protection. They're rich and powerful. Without laws they will get whatever they want. The laws are there to protect the workers. If that makes it a good time to be in progressive America, I guess I'm glad I'm here. You guys can leave if it's so bad for you. I really don't know why you're still here. There are plenty of great conservative republics where you all could earn the fortunes you deserve. Go.

When you say "go," what you mean is "go, and leave all your stuff behind," because that's what you're after. Certainly not rights, they don't buy X-Box games and fancy cell phones. And it sure isn't a just and representative government - you've already told us that much. What you want is what you're jealous of and too inept, lazy, or otherwise unable to obtain, which is other people's wealth - at the cost of their rights, their representation, and their welfare. Politics, government, and your uneducated idea of "equality" are simply means to that end. State run banditry - or wealth redistribution as you folks like to call it these days. Very noble.

[get louder at lambeau]

My grandpa was a farmer turned machinist (both his own businesses.) He worked his ass off, but that doesn't mean he should be able to skirt anti-trust laws or get whatever he wanted if he had a court battle.

What if your grandpa and some of his buddies actually invented a new industry, complete with a new career, Professional Football Player, that allowed his employees to earn anywhere from $285,000 to millions of dollars per year for playing a game?

Should he be forced to give these employees whatever they ask because they have the legal flexibility to have it both ways, jumping back and forth from union to non-union status for short periods of time just to gain leverage in negotiations in which they are demanding to be paid like part owners of the business he built? What if some of these players are making more money than he is as an owner and industry founder? Should his employees still have a trump card in any financial negotiations?

[bobblehead]

"These young players coming up have no choice on what team they can go to," he said. "If indeed there was a true free-agent market, they could go out there and market themselves to any team they want to go to and choose who they want to play for instead of being told what team they're going to go play for for the next three to five years depending on what happens with the contract length."
.

3-5 years heh? How about this scenario. TT finds a young CB that no one else wants. He signs him to a 15 year, 1 million dollar personal services contract to the GB packers. If Tramon Williams developes we own him for his life as a player. If he flops he can mow the lawn and empty trash for the Packers (or we would likely let him out of his contract if he would forgo the remaining payments).

I kind of like this new era of football the players rep wants.

[swede]

In a truly free market the players could go to whatever team would pay them most...and switch uniforms at half-time if the price was right.

[Pugger]

This twist leaves me not understanding what the hell is going on out there.

How does a union which is not a union remain represented by its union leaders and force the owners to treat them as if they are not a union?

I hope a higher court sees this too = the decertification of the union was just a sham all along.

[Pugger]

[QUOTE=Bossman641;588742]"We're all for anything that allows the players to realize their maximum potential on the free-agent market. The league has grown exponentially based on the rules that have been in place over the years, but a lot of the rules that have taken place have been very restrictive on the players," Mawae said.

As an example of the restrictions on players, Mawae cited the NFL draft, which this year takes place Thursday through Saturday.

"These young players coming up have no choice on what team they can go to," he said. "If indeed there was a true free-agent market, they could go out there and market themselves to any team they want to go to and choose who they want to play for instead of being told what team they're going to go play for for the next three to five years depending on what happens with the contract length."

When asked if the NFLPA wants to see the draft abolished, Mawae said: "I'm saying potentially if there is no draft then every kid coming out of college has the potential to negotiate a contract with any team he wants to negotiate with."

Would that be good for the league?

"It could be, it could not be," he said. "We don't know, we've never had a system where there is no draft."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And there it is, what the players truly want. This isn't about financial transparency or open books. It is about changing the landscape of the draft and free agency.

How can anyone back the players when this is what they want the league to become. The players want to turn the NFL into MLB.[/QUOTE]

BINGO!!

[bobblehead]

My grandpa was a farmer turned machinist (both his own businesses.) He worked his ass off, but that doesn't mean he should be able to skirt anti-trust laws or get whatever he wanted if he had a court battle.

I think conservatives ignore the horrible labor practices that went on before these silly laws were enacted and enforced. The owners don't need protection. They're rich and powerful. Without laws the rich would control the world. The laws are there to protect the workers. If that makes it a good time to be in progressive America, I guess I'm glad I'm here. You guys can leave if it's so bad for you. I really don't know why you're still here. There are plenty of great conservative republics where you all could earn the fortunes you deserve. Go there. See how you fare.

the owners didn't decertify the union. They are in no way trying to return to the days of the coal mines.

[get louder at lambeau]

For this legal stuff, it's hard to beat profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio, since he is a lawyer turned football reporter. He talked about the current situation today in this video-

http://hqplayer.nbcsports.com/Player.html?PID=44

[RashanGary]

Demaurice Smith talked to ESPN a bit. He seemed calm but firm. He had a personable but professional exterior. He never seemed phased by any questions and when he asserted himself it came off more matter of fact than angry. I got a pretty good impression of him. He seems very strong.

When asked about the WJS article, about the players essentially destroying the game, he said something to the effect of, "well, an article like that, it's hard to take seriously when he didn't even mention the owner imposed lockout." The reporter followed up, "Was it mostly spin?" and Smith said, "that reminded me of the Y2K articles a few years ago." The reporter said, "Y2K ended up not being anything" and Smith said, "Yeah, now you know. Now you know." And with that, the conversation was over. Smith obviously can't come out and say, "we have no intention of forcing the antitrust laws that we're filing for", so instead he hinted at it by calling their whining a scare tactic. It's not a bad play for the owners to make it look like the players want to ruin the game. The players can't say otherwise, or it would expose their act as a sham. The reality though, it's all a ploy to get the owners to the negotiation table on their terms.

Goodell on the other hand had a bit of a sick look on his face. Stressed almost. His calm appeared forced and his smile disingenuous. When he was asked questions about why they haven't lifted the lockout per the judges ruling, he said it took time to get everything in order. He said they were getting the league in order for opening up business.