Chiefs Mellinger: With the NFL back in business, Chiefs owner feels contrite but content

**Tribal Warfare** · 07-26-2011, 06:35 AM

With the NFL back in business, Chiefs owner feels contrite but content
By SAM MELLINGER
The Kansas City Star

Clark Hunt is apologizing to you.

The Chiefs chairman and CEO is sorry, he says, and he is speaking for the other 31 heads of NFL teams, too. They all made mistakes. He did, the other owners did, the players did. Everyone did.

There are wounded relationships, and even if no games will be missed, Hunt is taking this week’s celebration in the context that it never should have gone this far.

These are the first words he has spoken publicly about the official end of the NFL lockout on Monday after 136 days.

“It’s not something I really ever want to go through again,” he says.

Hunt’s part in the lockout’s conclusion is his most significant accomplishment in five years of running the Chiefs, his handprints on the NFL’s new collective bargaining agreement affecting the way the entire league does business for the next 10 years.

The players’ side had a red tint, too, with current Chief Brian Waters and former Chief Mike Vrabel heavily involved, but it is Hunt’s work that will impact the team’s ability to compete over the coming decade.

Beneath the high-profile issues, such as how revenue will be split between the owners and players, is a vital one about how the owners will divide money among themselves. One league source calls it “as important as anything else that got done” in the negotiations.

It is called supplemental revenue sharing, and it hits a dear intersection for Hunt between what he sees as the core historical values of the NFL and the principles of his deceased father, Lamar, the Chiefs’ founder and longtime owner.

“It’s hard to separate a little bit,” he says. “But I’d say my feelings are probably more focused on the future and the belief that if the NFL will continue to share a high percentage of revenue with its clubs, the league is going to continue to be successful.”

Hunt is cautious in his business life and measured in his actions — even more so in his words. But he is also famously intense, a co-valedictorian in high school and four-year letter winner for his college soccer team despite a painful foot injury he didn’t tell anyone about.

So even if he’s the second-youngest owner in the NFL at age 46 (Dan Snyder has him beat by about nine months), Hunt felt an obligation to join Steelers president Art Rooney in leading the passing of the supplemental revenue sharing plan that is especially crucial in small-money markets like Kansas City.

Among NFL teams, the Chiefs are consistently in the bottom third of local income, but supplemental revenue sharing — which complements the spread of national television money and other sources — is considered imperative in allowing them to be competitive.

The NFL also adjusts schedules based on the previous year’s finish, among other factors, but this extended revenue sharing is perhaps the biggest reason football teams in markets like Kansas City and Pittsburgh can flourish while baseball teams in both cities struggle.

“I don’t want to compare the Chiefs to the Royals,” Hunt says. “But absolutely, the overall policies (that) the NFL has to share a substantial amount of revenue has helped the league be successful and helped markets like Green Bay, Pittsburgh and Kansas City. No two ways about it.”

Hunt and Rooney took charge of this during the last 36 hours before the owners ratified their proposal to the players last Thursday. The plan is a bit of a Robin Hood system, whereby the top 10 or so teams in local revenue give money to the bottom five to eight.

It’s a continuation of what the NFL has done for years, and what the Chiefs have benefited from in the past, with important changes that Hunt wouldn’t speak about in detail. He did confirm that franchises must meet a list of qualifiers in order to receive money, and that one of them is that teams with new or heavily renovated stadiums are ineligible. He wouldn’t say when the Chiefs would regain that eligibility.

So even if supplemental revenue sharing is traditionally a bit of a lifeboat for teams like the Chiefs — one they need, because in the first year of “new” Arrowhead Stadium, they ranked toward the worst in local revenue — what Hunt pushed through will not immediately benefit his team or bottom line.

Perhaps that helped squash what Hunt recognized was a feeling by some other owners that he might be acting in the best interests of the Chiefs and not necessarily the entire league.

Hunt and Rooney made several revisions to the plan after hearing from big-money owners like Dallas’ Jerry Jones and other small-market voices like Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy.

“The art is finding a balance between the two,” Hunt said. “The trick to finding something that will pass is sticking the midpoint.”

With hindsight, Hunt thinks both sides should have found a way to continue negotiations with a federal mediator shortly after the lockout began in March. That could have saved a lot of people a lot of trouble, Hunt says.

The Chiefs lead the league in new season ticket sales, but business has still been slowed by the lockout. Some sponsors have passed this year because of time constraints, for instance.

These last four months have been tumultuous for nearly everyone inside the NFL, especially Hunt. He has been criticized locally for imposing pay cuts on team employees and a proposal that would keep ticket takers from being able to watch games after they’re done working.

The ticket taker issue has been resolved, and on Monday team employees found out that all pay cuts would be reimbursed. Moreover, they’ll be getting 3 percent raises, retroactive to March, starting with Friday’s paychecks.

This is part of the rebuilding process.

“I’m just delighted this episode is behind us,” Hunt says.

“Now we can get back to football.”

What’s next?
Today: Doors open to players at team facilities for voluntary conditioning sessions. Teams may negotiate with and sign draft picks and undrafted rookies. Teams may negotiate with but not sign their own free agents. Trading period begins.

Thursday: Chiefs begin training camp at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph.

Friday: Teams may sign all free agents beginning at 5 p.m.

07-26-2011, 06:35 AM	Topic Starter
Tribal Warfare Man of Culture Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Far Beyond Comprehension Casino cash: $-2937187	Mellinger: With the NFL back in business, Chiefs owner feels contrite but content With the NFL back in business, Chiefs owner feels contrite but content By SAM MELLINGER The Kansas City Star Clark Hunt is apologizing to you. The Chiefs chairman and CEO is sorry, he says, and he is speaking for the other 31 heads of NFL teams, too. They all made mistakes. He did, the other owners did, the players did. Everyone did. There are wounded relationships, and even if no games will be missed, Hunt is taking this week’s celebration in the context that it never should have gone this far. These are the first words he has spoken publicly about the official end of the NFL lockout on Monday after 136 days. “It’s not something I really ever want to go through again,” he says. Hunt’s part in the lockout’s conclusion is his most significant accomplishment in five years of running the Chiefs, his handprints on the NFL’s new collective bargaining agreement affecting the way the entire league does business for the next 10 years. The players’ side had a red tint, too, with current Chief Brian Waters and former Chief Mike Vrabel heavily involved, but it is Hunt’s work that will impact the team’s ability to compete over the coming decade. Beneath the high-profile issues, such as how revenue will be split between the owners and players, is a vital one about how the owners will divide money among themselves. One league source calls it “as important as anything else that got done” in the negotiations. It is called supplemental revenue sharing, and it hits a dear intersection for Hunt between what he sees as the core historical values of the NFL and the principles of his deceased father, Lamar, the Chiefs’ founder and longtime owner. “It’s hard to separate a little bit,” he says. “But I’d say my feelings are probably more focused on the future and the belief that if the NFL will continue to share a high percentage of revenue with its clubs, the league is going to continue to be successful.” Hunt is cautious in his business life and measured in his actions — even more so in his words. But he is also famously intense, a co-valedictorian in high school and four-year letter winner for his college soccer team despite a painful foot injury he didn’t tell anyone about. So even if he’s the second-youngest owner in the NFL at age 46 (Dan Snyder has him beat by about nine months), Hunt felt an obligation to join Steelers president Art Rooney in leading the passing of the supplemental revenue sharing plan that is especially crucial in small-money markets like Kansas City. Among NFL teams, the Chiefs are consistently in the bottom third of local income, but supplemental revenue sharing — which complements the spread of national television money and other sources — is considered imperative in allowing them to be competitive. The NFL also adjusts schedules based on the previous year’s finish, among other factors, but this extended revenue sharing is perhaps the biggest reason football teams in markets like Kansas City and Pittsburgh can flourish while baseball teams in both cities struggle. “I don’t want to compare the Chiefs to the Royals,” Hunt says. “But absolutely, the overall policies (that) the NFL has to share a substantial amount of revenue has helped the league be successful and helped markets like Green Bay, Pittsburgh and Kansas City. No two ways about it.” Hunt and Rooney took charge of this during the last 36 hours before the owners ratified their proposal to the players last Thursday. The plan is a bit of a Robin Hood system, whereby the top 10 or so teams in local revenue give money to the bottom five to eight. It’s a continuation of what the NFL has done for years, and what the Chiefs have benefited from in the past, with important changes that Hunt wouldn’t speak about in detail. He did confirm that franchises must meet a list of qualifiers in order to receive money, and that one of them is that teams with new or heavily renovated stadiums are ineligible. He wouldn’t say when the Chiefs would regain that eligibility. So even if supplemental revenue sharing is traditionally a bit of a lifeboat for teams like the Chiefs — one they need, because in the first year of “new” Arrowhead Stadium, they ranked toward the worst in local revenue — what Hunt pushed through will not immediately benefit his team or bottom line. Perhaps that helped squash what Hunt recognized was a feeling by some other owners that he might be acting in the best interests of the Chiefs and not necessarily the entire league. Hunt and Rooney made several revisions to the plan after hearing from big-money owners like Dallas’ Jerry Jones and other small-market voices like Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy. “The art is finding a balance between the two,” Hunt said. “The trick to finding something that will pass is sticking the midpoint.” With hindsight, Hunt thinks both sides should have found a way to continue negotiations with a federal mediator shortly after the lockout began in March. That could have saved a lot of people a lot of trouble, Hunt says. The Chiefs lead the league in new season ticket sales, but business has still been slowed by the lockout. Some sponsors have passed this year because of time constraints, for instance. These last four months have been tumultuous for nearly everyone inside the NFL, especially Hunt. He has been criticized locally for imposing pay cuts on team employees and a proposal that would keep ticket takers from being able to watch games after they’re done working. The ticket taker issue has been resolved, and on Monday team employees found out that all pay cuts would be reimbursed. Moreover, they’ll be getting 3 percent raises, retroactive to March, starting with Friday’s paychecks. This is part of the rebuilding process. “I’m just delighted this episode is behind us,” Hunt says. “Now we can get back to football.” What’s next? Today: Doors open to players at team facilities for voluntary conditioning sessions. Teams may negotiate with and sign draft picks and undrafted rookies. Teams may negotiate with but not sign their own free agents. Trading period begins. Thursday: Chiefs begin training camp at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph. Friday: Teams may sign all free agents beginning at 5 p.m.
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