the owners did their part :) Lets Play

[wpony]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl;_ylt=Akb...MCPsAEXwGZ9t7l now lets hope the players dont hold it up its time for FOOTBALL

[pbmax]

The Saturday Packer meeting may be on: via PFT

Goodell says facilities can open Saturday, league year can start Wednesday

Those who called for the kind of personal relationship between Goodell and Smith as existed between Tags and Upshaw might have gotten their wish. Settlement accepted, lockout lifted and a week to recertify for the NFLPA* (see link for evidence) mean that Goodell is trusting Smith to deliver on recertification and CBA vote.

[pbmax]

Also in the PFT piece above:

“The clubs approved an agreement that was negotiated with the players,” Goodell said. “We also approved a supplemental revenue sharing system for the next 10 years.”

Would love to know what happened to that plan. Was the CBA win back enough, or did the cash minimum keep the agreement the same?

[Joemailman]

Great move by the owners. Players ratify or almost everyone blames them.

[pbmax]

It gets better/worse (SI Jim Trotter):

SI_JimTrotter Jim Trotter
for clarification, the owners didn't ratify a settlement agreement that was ok'd by the players. they ratified their OWN proposal. ...

[pbmax]

Something about that just doesn't make sense. They spent a week going over the settlement language. And they spent the three weeks before that working through the details of the revenue split and rookie pool.

This must mean that details over non-monetary issues such as discipline, suspensions, drug policy, Play Conduct, etc. have not been settled yet.

[pbmax]

I should just go to bed.


SI_JimTrotter on Twitter summarizing email to player reps:

1) "As you know the Owners have ratifified their proposal to settle our differences. It is my understanding they are forwarding it to us.
2) As u may have heard, they apparently approved a supplemental revenue sharing proposal. Obly, we hv not bn a part of those discussions.
3) As you know from yesterday, issues that need to be collectively bargained remain open. ...
4) other issues such as workers compensation, economic issues and end of deal terms remain unresolved.
5) There is no agreement between the NFL and the Players at this time. I look forward to our call tonight.

[pbmax]

Schefter reports that the owners did not just vote on the legal settlement. They have voted on a CBA as well and given the players a deadline of the 27th (midnight of the 26th technically).

Meanwhile, a raft of issues remain unresolved. As this cannot have been unanticipated, negotiations apparently will continue.

[vince]

It sounds like the players have been kept mostly in the dark throughout this process. That is a major fail by the NFLPA. De Smith was hired by the players to negotiate a deal. He did that. He should have been keeping the troops up to speed and getting more feedback from them through the process. Educate the players and get to a vote for chrissakes.

[pbmax]

From Breer on Twitter:

AlbertBreer Albert Breer
Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver told us much as he wasn't thrilled w/how revenue sharing went in '06, he's happy w/where it's going in new deal.

So revenue sharing (which the Jags are most definitely collecting) went up? Oh Jerry Jones, where have you gone?

Does this mean that new investments in the game meant new investments in the Jaguars?

[Joemailman]

Hall Of Fame game has been scrapped. http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/...Fame-Game.html

[pbmax]

It sounds like the players have been kept mostly in the dark throughout this process. That is a major fail by the NFLPA. De Smith was hired by the players to negotiate a deal. He did that. He should have been keeping the troops up to speed. Educate the players and get to a vote for chrissakes.

Maybe. But the CBA vote and the compressed time to finalize unaddressed options might have been the price the NFLPA* paid to get the lockout lifted before the recertification.

It could also simply be posturing to make it obvious the players are still considering all options.

The owner's hadn't seen any of this until today either.

[red]

fuck this, right now it sounds like the whole thing might have just blown up

they're saying on NFL network that we might be going back to square one. lots of confusion right now,

fuck the players, bring in the scabs

[pbmax]

If the Owners voted on a CBA that contained provisions that hadn't been negotiated, they run the very real risk of having the deal blow up in their face. Because the players main leverage remains the TV lawsuit and the end of the 6 month moratorium on courts acting to lift a labor action, which they can't sign off on until the CBA is all but done.

If this wasn't the plan by Goodell and Smith, then the owners think they have called a bluff. And I suspect given the compressed timeframe, the players aren't going to judge this with a cool head.

It seems like the owners put the until then unfinished CBA on the table as the price for having to lift the lockout while the decertification and CBA are still unresolved.

[pbmax]

fuck this, right now it sounds like the whole thing might have just blown up

they're saying on NFL network that we might be going back to square one. lots of confusion right now,

fuck the players, bring in the scabs

Forget the scabs, those games were horrendous. Play college games on Sunday.