At a time when the NFL and its players union can't seem to agree on anything, they've finally agreed on something.
Per a league source, the two sides recently have come together on a "side letter" that formalizes the procedures that will apply if a team has a swine flu outbreak that requires the short-term call up of members of the practice squad.
The agreement, formalized on October 22, permits teams with six or more cases of confirmed or suspected swine flu to bring up members of the practice squad, pay them a game check based on the minimum salary based on their years of service, and then send them back down to the practice squad without exposing them to waivers.
And if the player suffers an injury during the game, he'll continue to be paid at the same rate until he is again healthy.
To implement these procedures, all practice-squad players have signed an addendum to their current contracts, which means they won't have to sign a new contract if/when they are needed on short notice.
It's hardly a groundbreaking negotiation, but it shows that, despite the rhetoric and chest thumping, these two parties can still communicate efficiently and effectively when needed. Let's hope they direct some of that to the much bigger issues that need to be resolved in order to avoid a work stoppage in 2011.
League, union agree on swine flu procedures
Posted by Mike Florio on October 29, 2009 7:23 AM ET
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3 Comments 
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Latest stories in: Latest News and Rumors, NFL Mobile Exclusives - Rumors, Top Stories, Union and CBA
I really don't know how warm and fuzzy anyone should feel about it. Any team can sign a player from any team's practice squad.
From the player's perspective, they get higher pay and possibly game tape for a week or two. They may not go thru waivers but they put themselves in a live "tryout" for the rest of the teams. Why would they say no?
They should worry about their real health problems, conussions and staff infection, not a really bad flu.
You just know that Darth Vader in New England is drooling over the word "suspected". You know he is going to use this to his advantage.