Poop Eric Winston: Don't care if NFL 'dies out in 20 years' because of work stoppage - Page 4

TLO · 08-22-2017, 01:45 PM

Winston not concerned if NFL dies out in 20 years

ESPN.com news services

NFL Players Association president Eric Winston agreed with DeMaurice Smith's recent comments that a work stoppage in 2021 is likely, given the current relationship between the union and the league.

But Winston took it a step further Monday in an interview with WCPO in Cincinnati, suggesting that players shouldn't care that a strike or lockout "might kill the goose that laid the golden egg."

"Honestly I don't care and I don't think the guys in this locker room care whether [the NFL] is going to be around in 20 years because none of us are going to be playing," Winston, an offensive tackle for the Bengals, told WCPO. "So if these guys [the owners] want to own for a long time, then they can own for a long time. But another work stoppage might kill the golden goose."

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NFLPA head: 2021 strike or lockout very likely
A work stoppage in 2021 is "almost a virtual certainty," NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith told Sports Illustrated in a video interview posted Thursday.

Smith, the union's executive director, said last week that "the likelihood of either a strike or a lockout is almost a virtual certainty."

The NFL's current collective bargaining agreement, which is set to expire in 2021, was finalized after a 132-day lockout in 2011.

Winston, 33, said the union is preparing its players for another prolonged labor dispute but emphasized that the long-term health of the NFL is not a concern of his.

"I'm certainly not worried about it," he said. "I'm not going to be around that long. I don't care if even if there are rookies in here -- they're not going to be playing that long.

"So if this thing dies out in 20 years, it dies out in 20 years. That's not really my concern, and I don't think it's any of these players' concern in here either."

Smith, when asked about Winston's comments during an interview Tuesday with ESPN's Outside The Lines, said the veteran offensive lineman is "a person who understands the frame and business of football."

"The owners locked us out the last time," Smith said. "They took the decision to make sure that people didn't have a place to work. They cut off the insurance to our families. They wanted to force an 18-game schedule. What are you supposed to do? Fight back, right?"

Winston is a 12-year veteran and has been the NFLPA's president since March 2014. He acknowledged that there are "always going to be issues between labor and management" but also said that a work stoppage will be the "inevitable outcome" unless serious progress is made in negotiations.

The NFLPA has clashed in recent years with the NFL over player discipline in such high-profile cases as Adrian Peterson's suspension for child abuse, Tom Brady's Deflategate suspension and, most recently, Ezekiel Elliott's suspension for alleged domestic violence.

Winston also was asked Monday why he thinks fans tend to side with ownership in labor disputes.

"My personal theory is [fans] think they have a stake in the team," he said. "I was as blindsided by it probably as anybody [in 2011]. ... They don't look at the issues the way we look at issues -- wages, hours, working conditions, and health and safety. You could talk about the same thing in a coal miners' union meeting as we do in our meetings.

"I think fans look at the team and say that that's their team -- they have an ownership in that. That's why you always hear fans say 'Oh, the salary cap,' and they think they're kinda the general managers. Obviously fantasy football and things like that play into it."

**Ming the Merciless** · 08-22-2017, 03:16 PM

what an imbecile

saphojunkie · 08-22-2017, 03:18 PM

If the head of my union said that publicly they'd be gone by lunch.

JakeF · 08-22-2017, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

It's anchoring.

The problem Winston faces is that he doesn't have an infinitely long timeline to work with here. His constituency is comprised of people who have Bentley payments to make and 4th and 5th houses to pay for as well as extremely short careers in which to make the money that allows them to do it.

Worse still, for the guys on the fringes, a single year out of work now doubles the pool of new labor (effectively 2 years worth of draftees) and thus greatly increases the odds of them just being out on the street, $500K poorer and with no long-term NFL prospects now.

So for the super rich that are spending like sailors on shore leave, they'll want that money to cover exorbitant expenses because they live like idiots. For the young guys on rookie deals who are looking at 3-5 year careers, they can't afford to lose 20% of their career and earning potential in a Pyrrhic victory.

There isn't an easy 'negotiation tactic' for Winston here because he doesn't really have a hammer. At least not one that's easily wielded. So he has to throw some haymakers in the hopes they land. Sooner or later his own constituency will lack the political will to allow him to follow through on any long-term leverage.

I damn sure don't envy him.

Can't disagree with what you've said but that is still about the players, not the owners. The players need to get their act together instead of waging war against their employer.

**DaneMcCloud** · 08-22-2017, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JakeF

Can't disagree with what you've said but that is still about the players, not the owners. The players need to get their act together instead of waging war against their employer.

That's stupid. The only leverage the players have is to strike against the owners.

NFL ratings were down big time last year. The current CBA expires after the 2021 season and if the ratings continue to decline, the players will have even more leverage against the owners because the TV networks won't shell out a shit ton of money for replacement players or a missed season.

DJ's left nut · 08-22-2017, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JakeF

Can't disagree with what you've said but that is still about the players, not the owners. The players need to get their act together instead of waging war against their employer.

Define 'get their act together'.

Line up in harmony and sit out a season? Again - if that happens, there's hundreds more draftees looking to make the league and thus hundreds of those same people will never touch a football field again. That one season they sat out could've easily been a season they'd have been in the league and that's another 500K they'd have made.

The owners have the players by the shorthairs here. These careers are just sooo short that it's virtually impossible to expect the players to play hardball.

So if they have to pick a designated asshole who's on the way out of the league anyway and who is willing to go be the guy that takes arrows for them - so be it.

But man, just exactly what the hell do you expect them to do? They get killed in these negotiations and something's gotta give or it'll just keep happening. Perhaps a significant change in tact isn't the worst idea.

**DaneMcCloud** · 08-22-2017, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

But man, just exactly what the hell do you expect them to do? They get killed in these negotiations and something's gotta give or it'll just keep happening.

Step 1: Fire DeMaurice Smith
Step 2: Hire a nasty shark
Step 3: Threaten a strike
Step 4: Publicly state that the quality of NFL games will decrease significantly if the Player's go on strike or are replaced.
Step 5: Watch as the TV networks scramble, become scared and put clauses into their new deals IF a strike or lockout occurs.

The result: The owners suddenly are more open to negotiations that give a little back to the players.

FloridaMan88 · 08-22-2017, 03:47 PM

The fact that Eric Winston... a.k.a. a mental midget is NFLPA President shows how weak of a union it is and how they will never be able to sustain an organized work stoppage.

And yes I know that he (unfortunately) went to Miami.

BigCatDaddy · 08-22-2017, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by notorious

A majority of fans were lining up to support the players, and this ****stick shits all over their good will.

They were? After watching them drag politics into the sport **** those guys.

oldman · 08-22-2017, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saphojunkie

If the head of my union said that publicly they'd be gone by lunch.

Yep. While I hear what the players are saying, a union leader doesn't come out and say he doesn't care if their employer isn't in business in 20 years. That's like telling the folks at Claycomo or Fairfax he doesn't care if Ford or GM is around. That doesn't instill a lot of confidence in those that would join the union next year or 5 years down the road. Maybe he's just been hit in the head too many times.

**OnTheWarpath15** · 08-22-2017, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amnorix

So they should be sympathetic to the hardships of the billionaire owners?

I think there's plenty of blame to go around, but if the cuase of a 2021 strike is the players being disgusted with the completely arbitrary and unfair "justice" system in the NFL, I wouldn't blame them one bit.

Herr Kommissar can do whatever Herr Kommissar wants, and the only appeal is to Herr Kommissar. Who could POSSIBLY object to that system?!?

Exactly.

Winston's not wrong here. He just didn't necessarily make his point as well as he could have.

**OnTheWarpath15** · 08-22-2017, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Certainly a nuanced, well-reasoned response.

DJ's left nut · 08-22-2017, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy

They were? After watching them drag politics into the sport **** those guys.

"Them" = what, 10% of the guys that put on a uniform? If that?

C'mon, folks. Blasting away at the players when they have unquestionably the shittiest labor deal in all of professional sports isn't a great look.

JakeF · 08-22-2017, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Define 'get their act together'.

Fire their current leadership and hire a guy like David Stern to run things. Tell idiots like Winston to shut up or move on. The NFLPA has plenty of leverage if they would just start using it intelligently. The 1st time Stern wins something big for the players they will jump on board and give him the support to really change things.

PAChiefsGuy · 08-22-2017, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

In fairness, the NFLPA has had it broken off in them repeatedly. They play the most demanding and most damaging of the professional sports. They have the shortest careers and feel it the longest after they're done.

If I could be similarly successful at any of the 5 major sports (including soccer), I'd take all of them over football and wouldn't think twice about it.

As a reward, they get no guaranteed money. Worse still, in a league where, what, 1 in 3 players see real money after their rookie deals are over, the rookie scale has turned to shit on them as well.

Meanwhile, the NFL is making more money than every other major sport.

If I'm an NFL player, I'm absolutely looking for some serious changes and if that means finding an asshole like Winston to head your PA - so be it. The soft-shoes approach hasn't done shit for them.

I'm amazed at how much NFL owners have managed to bend over the NFLPA in comparison to every other professional athlete.

It is a complicated situation because of the amount of players on an NFL roster compared to the other sports and because of all the injuries that happen in football.

Overall, all things considered, I think NFL players deserve more money. It's the most popular sport in America and generates the most money yet the players are vastly underpaid compared to other sports. Something isn't right here.

Rasputin · 08-22-2017, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

"Them" = what, 10% of the guys that put on a uniform? If that?

C'mon, folks. Blasting away at the players when they have unquestionably the shittiest labor deal in all of professional sports isn't a great look.

That's still probably 80%-90% better than labor deals across America for the working class. My guess.

08-22-2017, 01:45 PM
TLO Life is changing.. Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: NW Missouri Casino cash: $-2630000	Eric Winston: Don't care if NFL 'dies out in 20 years' because of work stoppage Winston not concerned if NFL dies out in 20 years ESPN.com news services NFL Players Association president Eric Winston agreed with DeMaurice Smith's recent comments that a work stoppage in 2021 is likely, given the current relationship between the union and the league. But Winston took it a step further Monday in an interview with WCPO in Cincinnati, suggesting that players shouldn't care that a strike or lockout "might kill the goose that laid the golden egg." "Honestly I don't care and I don't think the guys in this locker room care whether [the NFL] is going to be around in 20 years because none of us are going to be playing," Winston, an offensive tackle for the Bengals, told WCPO. "So if these guys [the owners] want to own for a long time, then they can own for a long time. But another work stoppage might kill the golden goose." EDITOR'S PICKS Why Roger Goodell's NFL reign isn't in danger Fans love to hate The Commish, but he's now likely to have a tenure that surpasses his predecessor Paul Tagliabue's in length. NFLPA head: 2021 strike or lockout very likely A work stoppage in 2021 is "almost a virtual certainty," NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith told Sports Illustrated in a video interview posted Thursday. Smith, the union's executive director, said last week that "the likelihood of either a strike or a lockout is almost a virtual certainty." The NFL's current collective bargaining agreement, which is set to expire in 2021, was finalized after a 132-day lockout in 2011. Winston, 33, said the union is preparing its players for another prolonged labor dispute but emphasized that the long-term health of the NFL is not a concern of his. "I'm certainly not worried about it," he said. "I'm not going to be around that long. I don't care if even if there are rookies in here -- they're not going to be playing that long. "So if this thing dies out in 20 years, it dies out in 20 years. That's not really my concern, and I don't think it's any of these players' concern in here either." Smith, when asked about Winston's comments during an interview Tuesday with ESPN's Outside The Lines, said the veteran offensive lineman is "a person who understands the frame and business of football." "The owners locked us out the last time," Smith said. "They took the decision to make sure that people didn't have a place to work. They cut off the insurance to our families. They wanted to force an 18-game schedule. What are you supposed to do? Fight back, right?" Winston is a 12-year veteran and has been the NFLPA's president since March 2014. He acknowledged that there are "always going to be issues between labor and management" but also said that a work stoppage will be the "inevitable outcome" unless serious progress is made in negotiations. The NFLPA has clashed in recent years with the NFL over player discipline in such high-profile cases as Adrian Peterson's suspension for child abuse, Tom Brady's Deflategate suspension and, most recently, Ezekiel Elliott's suspension for alleged domestic violence. Winston also was asked Monday why he thinks fans tend to side with ownership in labor disputes. "My personal theory is [fans] think they have a stake in the team," he said. "I was as blindsided by it probably as anybody [in 2011]. ... They don't look at the issues the way we look at issues -- wages, hours, working conditions, and health and safety. You could talk about the same thing in a coal miners' union meeting as we do in our meetings. "I think fans look at the team and say that that's their team -- they have an ownership in that. That's why you always hear fans say 'Oh, the salary cap,' and they think they're kinda the general managers. Obviously fantasy football and things like that play into it."
Posts: 43,126

08-22-2017, 03:16 PM	#46
Ming the Merciless Emporer of Mongo Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Milky Way Casino cash: $-682444	what an imbecile __________________ ---- 2018 Adopt-A-Chief : Chris Conley 2017 Adopt-A-Chief : FRANK ZOMBO Click here-->*The Holy Chiefsplanet Lexicon **
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08-22-2017, 03:18 PM	#47
saphojunkie MVP Join Date: Aug 2011 Casino cash: $2156550	If the head of my union said that publicly they'd be gone by lunch.
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08-22-2017, 03:47 PM	#52
FloridaMan88 Mahomes: We Are All Witnesses Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Miami, FL Casino cash: $-787094	The fact that Eric Winston... a.k.a. a mental midget is NFLPA President shows how weak of a union it is and how they will never be able to sustain an organized work stoppage. And yes I know that he (unfortunately) went to Miami.
Posts: 50,330