Tag: NFL lockout (Page 7 of 12)

      NFL facilities to open on Friday morning?

      April 28, 2011 /
      The home of the NFL’s San Diego Chargers is shown in San Diego, California at Qualcomm Stadium March 15, 2011. The antitrust suit filed by NFL players against the league will be heard on April 6 in a federal court in Minnesota, according to court documents released on Monday. The hearing is to be heard by Judge Susan Nelson with the players asking for an injunction against the lockout declared by the NFL on Saturday. REUTERS/Mike Blake(UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Rotoworld.com (via NBCSports.com) is reporting that the NFL has sent a memo to all teams indicating that players will be allowed into facilities and coaches may begin distributing playbooks as early as Friday morning.

      In other words, injured players may begin rehabbing and coaches can begin discussing football matters with all players. Teams may also begin scheduling OTAs/minicamps. The NFL will also hand out guidelines for the 2011 League Year, including when it will start. Free agency and trades remain on hold, though NFL Network’s Jason LaCanfora has reported that GMs have begun prepping for the market to open Monday. It’s believed that 2010 free agency rules would apply, which would leave four- and five-year veterans such as Sidney Rice and DeAngelo Williams restricted.

      This is a nice report with the first round of the draft a mere hours away now. It would be nice if we could have confirmation that free agency will begin on Monday, but the fact that the NFL is sending out a memo telling teams that they can partake in football matters (to borrow a term from Rotoworld) is positive sign.

      It’s interesting to note that ESPN’s Adam Schefter, NFL Network’s Albert Breer and draft analyst Mike Mayock have all predicted that the first round will be heavy on trades. Seeing as how there is no CBA in place and therefore, there is no 2012 NFL Draft (or 2012 draft picks), one would assume that teams will largely stay put tonight. But maybe that won’t be the case if their prediction is correct.

      External Sports, NFL

      Report: No free agency until injunction ruling

      April 26, 2011 /
      The NFL logo is seen on a trailer parked near the New Meadowlands Stadium where the New York Jets and New York Giants NFL football teams play home games in East Rutherford, New Jersey, March 14, 2011. The NFL has officially announced a lockout of players by team owners following the move by the players’ union to dissolve themselves and pursue court action against the league. REUTERS/Mike Segar (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL BUSINESS)

      Jason La Canfora is reporting that the current freeze on NFL free agency will remain intact until the St. Louis appeals court rules on the lockout injunction.

      From Rotoworld:

      The owners filed for the appeal on Monday night, and expect a decision by Tuesday. GMs and coaching staffs have also been instructed to stay away from free agents. NFL teams are still adhering to “lockout rules,” since the league hasn’t constructed a new set of rules for whatever you want to call the period we’re in. We’d still be shocked if any transactions occurred before the draft.

      I agree with Rotoworld. I think at this point, we can assume that no team will be able to sign a free agent before the draft on Thursday. Thus, we’re seemingly headed for one of the most unpredictable drafts in recent memory.

      In terms of the lockout injunction, the owners won’t give up without a fight. This was a victory for the players, but the situation is (sadly) still far from over. Even if the owners’ appeal isn’t granted, there’s still the issue of the two sides working out a new CBA deal. Granted, the owners and players could agree to an uncapped season (just like there was in 2010), but that obviously doesn’t mean all will be resolved.

      External Sports, NFL

      Judge lifts NFL lockout, but owners are expected to appeal

      April 25, 2011 /

      Even though Judge Susan Nelson has granted an injunction of the NFL owners’ lockout, players and fans will have to hold off on the celebration.

      While this ruling is obviously a huge win for the players, the owners are pursuing a stay on the injunction, which could mean that Nelson’s decision could eventually be overruled. The NFL’s hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.

      From USA Today:

      “The irreparable harm to the players outweighs any harm an injunction would cause the NFL,” Nelson wrote in her decision. She also cited public interest in her ruling and said the NFL’s lockout — which would threatened to shutter the regular season if it lingered into the fall — was “far from purely a private argument over compensation.”

      As of right now, it’s uncertain whether or not the league is open for business. According to Peter King via Twitter, agents have started advising clients with huge workout bonuses to report to their teams on Tuesday morning. Adam Schefter shared a similar tweet on his page.

      If the owners’ appeal doesn’t hold up, we could be looking at another uncapped year as the two sides continue to work on a new CBA. The good news there is that free agency will begin and I would have to imagine that teams will start calling players as early as this week. (If not on Tuesday.)

      Of course, if the owners’ appeal is granted, then the league has another mess on its hands. For now, all we can do is wait for the situation to provide more clarity.

      External Sports, NFL

      Is there an internal conflict brewing among NFL players?

      April 20, 2011 /
      DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players’ Association, speaks to the media after attending a federal court hearing regarding labor negotiations between the NFL and the NFL Players Association in St. Paul, April 6, 2011. Next to Smith are attorneys David Boies, Gregg Levy and Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Mike Vrabel. REUTERS/Eric Miller (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL CRIME LAW BUSINESS)

      The Sports Business Journal is reporting that a group of NFL players are set to sign a lawfirm to intervene in the Brady vs. NFL case. The exact tweet from SBJ’s Daniel Kaplan’s is below.

      BREAKING NEWS: Breakaway group of NFL players close to signing law firm to intervene in Brady case, reporting now in SBD…

      The “breakaway group” as Kaplan calls it, is believed to be 70 mid-tier players that want to be represented separately at mediation. The motion is expected to be filed by the end of the week and will not contest the Brady v. NFL lawsuit, but will demand the other group of players have their own seat at negations.

      If this report is true, then this situation looks bad on the players, who obviously want to be perceived as a united front during this dispute. Any signs of discord among the players will be viewed as leverage for the owners, whom I believe are stalling until they can get into August or September. The longer the owners hold out, the more some of these young players blow through their savings, get arrested and/or turn on their leaders.

      There’s also belief among some players that their leaders did not take this second round of mediation under Judge Susan Nelson seriously. If that’s the case, then I wonder if some players will start getting vocal about their displeasure for the way talks have progressed (or regressed) to this point. If a group of players are already in the process of signing a lawfirm to intervene in the Brady vs. NFL case, then when will some of these athletes really start turning on each other through the media? You know Twitter is a feeding ground for players who love to make comments without first thinking them through.

      We could be witnessing some major cracks in the players’ foundation.

      External Sports, NFL

      Why it’s in the owners’ best interest to stall

      April 19, 2011 /
      Jerry Richardson, owner of the Carolina Panthers, arrives to continue negotiations between the National Football League (NFL) and the National Football League Players’ Association (NFLPA) in Washington March 11, 2011. The parties were still negotiating a range of sticking points, including how to divide more than $9 billion in annual revenues, but the players’ union insist one issue, the NFL’s proposal to add two more games to the regular season, was off the table. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL EMPLOYMENT BUSINESS)

      What I want as a fan as it pertains to the NFL lockout and what I think will happen are obviously two different things. I want the lockout to end yesterday, so that free agency will open and the NFL draft won’t seem like a major inconvenience to all parties involved.

      But what I think is happening right now is pretty obvious: The owners are stalling.

      Some believe that both sides want to get a deal done now. I don’t. I think the players wanted to get a deal done when the discussions first began, while I think the owners wanted a lockout all along and were ready to use the negotiated TV contracts to fund said lockout. But when Judge David Doty ruled that owners like Carolina’s Jerry Richardson (photo above) couldn’t use that money, the leverage swung in the players’ favor and things changed dramatically. The owners then wanted to get a deal done, so they put together what they thought was a reasonable offer before the CBA deadline expired. But at that point, the players wanted to decertify because they knew that if things went to court, Judge Doty would get them the best deal possible.

      But then they went to court and Judge Susan Nelson was chosen to oversee their case – not Judge Doty. The scales have now tipped back in the owners’ favor, even if Judge Nelson lifts the lockout in these upcoming weeks.

      Read the full article at the Washington Post.

      External Sports, NFL

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