Tag: nfl lock mediation

      NFL labor talks to go into September?

      February 25, 2011 /
      NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell address the media during a press conference in Dallas, Texas on February 4, 2011, one of the events leading up to Super Bowl XLV. The Pittsburgh Steelers will take on the Green Bay Packers on February 6, 2011. UPI/Ian Halperin

      Just when fans thought the owners and the NFLPA were getting somewhere with the CBA discussions, ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared this little nugget on his Twitter page on Friday:

      NFLPA Exec Dir De Smith addressing agents now. An agent in room texted: “Not close on one single issue. This WILL go into September.”

      AWESOME. I love doom and gloom with my lunch.

      Earlier this month when it was announced that the NFL was bringing in a mediator to help resolve some of the issues between the two sides, it was a positive sign that a lockout could be avoided. But apparently the lockout whisperer George H. Cohen was unable to work his magic and the two sides appear no closer to coming to terms.

      Perhaps what’s more bothersome than Schefter’s report is something super agent Drew Rosenhaus mentioned on his Twitter page:

      It is very disappointing that not a single NFL owner participated in the negotiations/mediation this week. The owners need to be there!

      Tell me the owners didn’t skip the mediation that was set up to help ensure that there’s a football season next year. Tell me that they were there and that Rosenhaus is an uninformed clown that doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Tell me that the owners have at least a minute interest in making the fans happy instead of constantly bending us over every chance they get.

      If Rosenhaus was right and not one single owner participated in the negotiations this week, then it’s safe to assume that the CBA discussions haven’t budged since Roger Goodell and the league announced that they were bringing Cohen in to help. How infuriating.

      External Sports, NFL

      Finally, the first positive signs from the CBA discussions

      February 18, 2011 /
      NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell address the media during a press conference in Dallas, Texas on February 4, 2011, one of the events leading up to Super Bowl XLV. The Pittsburgh Steelers will take on the Green Bay Packers on February 6, 2011. UPI/Ian Halperin

      After months of failed bargaining negotiations, the owners and union are bringing in the big guns to help resolve the CBA deal.

      George H. Cohen, also known as the lockout whisperer, has been called upon by both sides to help mediate the discussions. Mediation is not binding, so whether Cohen can help remains to be seen but at least this is a step in a positive direction (the first we’ve heard when it comes to these discussions).

      Last year, Cohen was involved in Major League Soccer talks with its players’ union and a work stoppage was avoided. He’s also worked with the players’ associations for MLB, helping end the 1994-95 strike as a consulting attorney and has been a consultant for the NBA and NHL as well.

      But while he’s had success with other leagues, he certainly has his work cut out for him with this new CBA deal for the NFL. When you sift past the proposed topics like an 18-game schedule and the restructuring of rookie salaries, what these discussions ultimately come down to is money. As John Paulsen recently pointed out, if the numbers are correct, the union is currently getting 60% of revenues right now, or around $4.8 million (after the owners get a $1 billion credit). The owners are getting $4.2 billion and seemingly want more of a 50/50 split when it comes to revenue sharing.

      The union knows that it has to take a paycut in order for a new deal to be signed. But it’s looking for a trim while the owners want to take out their clippers. Hopefully that’s where Cohen comes in to strike a compromise for both sides.

      What a compromise looks like, I don’t know. Maybe the players will have to agree to an 18-game schedule (which they vehemently oppose) to allow the math to work for them to not to take too big a financial hit under the new CBA. Maybe the NFL will have to modify its salary cap structure so that the floor of the cap (which was $108 million in 2009) would be raised to help offset the lowering of the cap ceiling.

      Whatever and wherever the comprise comes from, I couldn’t care less. I just want football next year, so let’s hope Cohen can work his magic.

      External Sports, NFL

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