Another two weeks before the lockout is over?

[ToxSocks]

I'm over this shit now....

http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/sp...-thats-a-sham/

Herald columnist Ron Borges from Atlanta: The union to recertify in a day? That’s a “sham”
Herald columnist Ron Borges is in Atlanta for the much-ballyhooed owners meetings where so many expect a settlement and a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Some expect it today.

In Borges’ view? Chill out a bit.

Here is the explanatory report he just filed:

By Ron Borges
ATLANTA – Once again, NFL owners want it both ways.

When the NFLPA tried to decertify the owners’ argument was that it couldn’t be done with by a simple snap of the union’s fingers. Time had to pass, they argued, or it was all “a sham,” a point they somehow won in front of the most conservative Federal appeals court in the country.

Now they are insisting that the NFLPA settle two multi-million dollar lawsuits, approve a new 10-year CBA that cuts their pay by hundreds of millions of dollars and recertify their union in a day.


The NFLPA has basically said they may be able to do the first two but recertification will take at least two weeks. The owners, as they always seem to be except when lining their pockets, are outraged and demanding a “global settlement’’ be completed today.

Now there’s “a sham,” because nearly 1,000 recertification cards have to be signed and returned, approving recertification before the union can re-form. And that takes a lot longer than 24 hours, according to the union.

With that as the latest background in what has become a far longer slog toward a settlement of the 132-day and counting lockout than either side expected, the owners are meeting in Atlanta poised to vote on approval of a deal with the players that they don’t yet have with the players.

“It’s an ongoing thing,’’ Indianapolis Colts’ owner Jimmy Irsay said. “Everyone is pushing in that direction but it’s never done until it’s done. We are hoping to get back to the business of football.

“You can only control what you can control. We’re going to try and do our part today getting something approved.’’

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith is trying to corral angry plaintiffs in the Brady vs. NFL case and his own Executive Committee and team player reps to the point where he can get a majority to approve both the settlement and the 10-year CBA framework presently on the table.

He has yet been unable to do that which is why no vote was taken on Wednesday even though many felt it was some sort of fait accompli. Let me tell you something, at this point there is no fait accom-anything, although at some point there will be an NFL season.

Just not anywhere as quickly as fans hoped and the two sides thought possible. As NFLPA president Kevin Mawea ominously said Wednesday the players are not on a July 21 deadline for anything.

So the owners are expected to approve a deal they don’t yet have sometime today while now arguing that a union is a great thing for their business even though the players don’t have one any more.

[JD10367]

Originally Posted by ChiefsandO'sfan

RapSheetIan R. Rapoport

Ugh. RT @DariusButler28 Thought I was gonna be up here n NE for a while. Abt to head to the rm n look up some flights bk home


This cant be good

Butler has been a disappointment. This could simply mean they cut him already.

[BossChief]

Originally Posted by vailpass

This isn't a democracy, it's a business. Can't let the inmates run the asylum. they don't want Goodell because they fear Goodell which is how it should be.

If it's not a democracy, why are they voting on everything (or not voting)?

[Just Passin' By]

Originally Posted by Laz

of course they do, children would love if they could determine their punishment when they screw up too instead of their parents. Maybe we should let people who commit a crimes determine their own punishments as well.

Would it kill you to, just once, think before you post?

[ToxSocks]

According to Profootballtalk.com, a players vote on the latest CBA proposal could come sooner than Monday.
ESPN's Adam Schefter previously reported that the players had essentially broken for the weekend, citing an email distributed by the *NFLPA. Multiple outlets are now disputing Schefter's report, including Schefter. Per Mike Florio of Profootballtalk.com, a vote will happen "when the deal points and the language on the settlement are completed." That could be tonight, tomorrow, Sunday, or Monday. We still expect transactions at some point next week.

[ToxSocks]

Vote could come sooner than Monday

Posted by Mike Florio on July 22, 2011, 5:59 PM EDT

AP
Notwithstanding an e-mail from NFLPA* player representatives to the rank-and-file indicating that a meeting (and thus a vote) won’t happen until Monday, there remains a chance that a vote will come sooner.

Per a source with direct knowledge of the dynamics, a vote will happen when the deal points and the language on the settlement are completed.

That means the lawyers and the principals need to get to work, while NFLPA* player leadership digests the proposal passed by the owners.

There’s a benefit, however, to putting the word out that nothing will happen until Monday. The strategy could reduce the intense media scrutiny, allowing the players to focus on the task at hand.

So maybe the vote comes Monday. Maybe it comes sooner. For those of us who have had enough of this mess, it can’t come soon enough.

[Titty Meat]

The reporters should just admit what we already know: They have no ****ing clue whats going on.

[BossChief]

Haha

I bet we have one player that REALLY doesn't know what's included in the proposed cba.

Email....shit
Text....shit
300 page documents...shit

[DeezNutz]

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

Would it kill you to, just once, think before you post?

No, no, we're thrilled to find the "Right 80%."

[Okie_Apparition]

Nancy Grace should take this on, so more people can learn to hate her

[philfree]

The players are unorganized. D Smith and the lawyers haven't done a good job of keeping the players up to date on what was going down. And if they want to sign union cards in person then shouldn't they be heading to the cities where they play if they're not already there. The rep for each team should secure a location for the players to meet and go over the proposal on a video confrerence call and then sign the damn cards. Why do the owners have to open facilities for that to happen? The players side is choking at closing time.

[ShowtimeSBMVP]

The open items before the league’s approval of the labor deal

Posted by Mike Florio on July 22, 2011, 10:00 PM EDT


On Thursday, the NFL announced that it had approved a new labor deal, subject to acceptance of the deal by the players. Some players complained that they hadn’t seen the final version of the deal that was approved by the owners, other players complained that the NFL had slipped new terms into the final version of the deal that was approved by the owners.

A day before, the NFLPA* Executive Committee and board of player representatives saw a summary of the proposed deal, which included the open items, as of Wednesday. Howard Balzer of the Sports Xchange and 101espn.com has obtained a copy of the summary.

The open items are set forth below.

First, the minimum team expenditure would be only 89 percent of the salary cap. The term would be coupled with a guaranteed league-wide cash spend of 95 percent of the salary cap. If half of the teams spend 100 percent of the cap, half could spend 90 percent of the cap, preserving as a practical matter a 10-percent spread between the highest-spending and lowest-spending teams. If, alternatively, all teams have a minimum cash spend of 95 percent, the total cash spend would be 97.5 percent or more, assuming at least half of the teams spend 100 percent of their allotment, with the other half spending 95 percent.

Second, those offseason workout bonuses (such as the $750,000 due to Jets tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson) would be paid if the player reports to training camp and performs the services required of him. Thus, under this term, players who report for work (and then work) would earn all offseason workout bonuses, despite the absence of an offseason workout program.

Third, for rookie pay, an escalator would be available to push the fourth-year salary to the lowest level restricted free agency tender, which is $1.2 million in 2011, but which will increase with the salary cap.

Fourth, players would be guaranteed up to $3 million for the second and third year after a catastrophic injury. Balzer reports that, in the deal approved by the league on Thursday, the number had been cut to $1 million in the second year and $500,000 in the third year.

Fifth, the California loophole for workers’ compensation benefits would continue.

Sixth, the possibility of an opt out was included as an open item. Balzer reports that the final version included no opt out, making it a firm 10-year deal. (It has been reported that the players want a potential opt out after seven years.)

Seventh, payment of $320 million in lost benefits would be made for the 2010 season. In the summary document, the lump sum expressly is linked to the “lockout insurance” case. Basically, the players are proposing the restoration of those lost benefits as the payment of damages for the league’s failure to max out TV money when persuading the networks to pay rights fees during a lockout.

Eighth, a settlement of the Brady antitrust case would need to be made, separate and apart from the labor deal.

Ninth, a player would be subject to the franchise tag only once in his career.

Tenth, short-term injured reserve would be available, along with a possible game-day roster of 47. The deal approved by the owners reportedly limits the game-day roster to 46.

I’ll be pulling out some of the settled items from the summary later tonight for discussion and analysis. Thanks again to Howard Balzer of the Sports Xchange and 101espn.com for passing it along.

[milkman]

This thread is entirely too far along for me to read through the entire thing.

Let me see if I understand what's happening.

The owners approved a deal in which they made a couple of changes to items agreed upon, and sent it to the players in thier own sweet time for the palyers to ratify, hoping public pressure would sway the players to vote for a deal they didn't agree to.

That about the gist of what's happening?

[Okie_Apparition]

If a player from any NFL team is in Miami, they can stop by the Dolphins facility to sign their card(1 Theory). Collusion should get bantered around LOL

[DeezNutz]

Originally Posted by milkman

This thread is entirely too far along for me to read through the entire thing.

Let me see if I understand what's happening.

The owners approved a deal in which they made a couple of changes to items agreed upon, and sent it to the players in thier own sweet time for the palyers to ratify, hoping public pressure would sway the players to vote for a deal they didn't agree to.

That about the gist of what's happening?

Or included stipulations that weren't discussed.

Meanwhile, the "right 80%" of fans have freaked out, cowering to authority at every step of the way.

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by milkman

This thread is entirely too far along for me to read through the entire thing.

Let me see if I understand what's happening.

The owners approved a deal in which they made a couple of changes to items agreed upon, and sent it to the players in thier own sweet time for the palyers to ratify, hoping public pressure would sway the players to vote for a deal they didn't agree to.

That about the gist of what's happening?

I don't think anyone has shown any evidence the owners changed a thing or that they didn't send them all necessary material in a timely manner.

The players have complained they won't be told by the NFL how to re-ratify the union and they aren't happy they only have 3 days after ratifying to make changes or the CBA goes back to 2006 terms.