This.

So if the NFL has a lockout year, how does that affect the draft?

Seriously. I wasn't thinking when I posted that. Can you change it?

LMAO You know what's absolutely reeruned about this? That it's spot on. I just can't feel sorry for any of them.

The whole negotiation is a joke; current and retired players with long term work related injuries are laughed out of the conference room.

This is pure greed

No way! I want to see how many times (and ways) guys post this:I'm guessing....11 times.

I can't even fathom how dumb you have to be to spend that much money in a month.

My sense is that they'll get this thing worked out in time. There's a lot of posturing going on at this stage - as is both customary and predictable. Each side will be leaking information to the press designed to support their respective positions, but the public arguments will be somewhat different than the private ones, so my advice is to take what you read with a salty rim. It's all part of the age-old game.

Rookie salaries will be one of the main issues, though. Interestingly enough, some kind of reasonable rookie pay scale is potentially beneficial to both the owners and the union. The benefit to the owners is clear. Not so obvious, however, is the fact that reasonable rookie salaries leave more money on the table for veteran players - a point that's not lost on the union, I'm sure. There's reason to be confident they'll ultimately find common ground on this, as well as the other, more traditional issues.

If not, it's going to be up to the National Women's Semi-Nude Tetherball League to save our country's sports bars from bankruptcy - which wouldn't be all bad. Nothing says "America" better than a large breasted girl going for a full openhanded, counterclockwise, overhead strike forcing her opponent into an inadvertent penalty wrap.

FAX

Imagine not being taught how to budget money.

Then remember that unlike Corporate executives, who get most of their payments in options that allow them to dodge paying tax, athletes are getting hit at a 40% rate.

Then tack on another 3-5% for your agent.

Then think about all the hangers on and the entourage, or extended family members who want help with a business, or an investment.

Then think about the peer pressure to "keep up" with the materialism.

It's not intelligent, but it's easy to see how it could happen.

Seems most young players succumb to this. Some are smart about it. I recall Dante Hall saying he lives off his endorsement money and saves his salary.

Excellent post. I haven't seen anything other than posturing from either side so far.

I agree regarding the posturing, for the most part, Mr. FAX.

But it would be silly for DeMaurice Smith to lie about the information regarding the Packers. They are a publicly held company, so it would be pretty easy to determine if he's telling the truth.

Well said. If you don't apply the tools available to you, they're worthless and you're guaranteed to live check to check. It's not an information deficit. I just found it interesting that the NFLPA people are telling their guys to hold off on buying the boat, pay off the debts now, etc...to us it's not fathomable but to them it's just like it would be if we went without work for a year. They are screwed.

Thank God for the smart ones with their money like Trent Green.

You the man Face! Thanks.