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NFL players preparing for lockout
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NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith (AP)
NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith met with NFL player representatives last week to outline strategy for the upcoming negotiations with ownership on a new collective bargaining agreement.
However, after reading Heath Smith's article on the NFLPA website, it doesn't appear that Smith and the players are preparing for constructive negotiations.
Rather, it appears they are developing contingency plans in preparation for a lockout in 2011.
“I am absolutely convinced that the default plan is to lock us out in 2011,” (DeMaurice) Smith said.
This is quite a different tone from just a few months ago when Smith expressed confidence that an agreement could be reached without a work stoppage.
Smith also said last week that "there has not been any significant CBA discussion with the NFL" to date.
Wonderful.
Texans player representative Chester Pitts came out of the meeting with talking points to bring back to his teammates. Pitts is talking the NFLPA party line that the owners need to open their financial books.
“We have our talking points, but it’s not that difficult,” Pitts said. “If you really think about it, it’s simple. The owners decided that the agreement we signed was not a good one. We can talk all day about why you would sign an agreement if you thought it wasn’t a good one, but if you opt out of an agreement, the onus is on you to explain why.
“There is no way to do that without audited financial statements. We’re spinning our wheels if they can’t produce that. What business transaction transpires without audited financial statements?”
Kris Brown is the other player rep for the Texans.
The more that time passes, the more it seems that the owners have already agreed among themselves to go without a salary cap in 2010 and proceed toward a lockout in 2011 in an attempt to divide and conquer as they did in 1987.
The signs are there. Commissioner Roger Goodell symbolically cuts his salary because of the "hard times." Teams lay off administrative staff (whose salaries put together might add up to one rookie deal) in an attempt to further the notion that owners are being forced to tighten their belts.
Free agent money seems to be drying up and the pace of contract extensions have slowed - as we have seen first hand with Owen Daniels, DeMeco Ryans, and Dunta Robinson.
In the meantime, Jerry Jones is opening a billion dollar palace and teams are charging $50,000 or more for a PSL and $8 for a beer. Something isn't right.
With the uncertainty ahead, agents will be trying to get as much guaranteed up-front money as they can for rookie clients, although there's only so much money to go around in that pool.
What this means for players, and the message that Chester Pitts and Kris Brown will relay to their teammates is to save money, because you might need it when you're not working in two years.
Do you think anyone is thinking about the fans?
I didn't think so.
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