Comments on: Source: Some in union think Kessler wants to force a lockout

By: edgy1957

edgy1957 — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:46:10 +0000

You guys make me laugh. Only now are some of you willing to show that your true “loyalties” to the owners are nothing more than jealousy for what the players make. Of course, don’t think you youngsters are alone. Back when I was younger and players made a lot less and didn’t have free agency, the fans were no more sympathetic to their plight and thought that they were overpaid and they should be happy for doing nothing more than play a children’s game. 45 years later, those same guys are trying to guilt the players into helping them with their medical bills because the owners have already told them to go to hell.

By: slipkid

slipkid — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:00:43 +0000

owners still make $ if there is a lockout.
players cant eat bling.
de is pronounced duh.

By: sebuc40

sebuc40 — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:52:53 +0000

He better get the owners to lock out before November! The union might just find a much less favorable environment after that!

By: Maury Brown

Maury Brown — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:02:55 +0000

I’m not sure that canning Kessler and Batterman removes the overall direction that the sides are taking. Outside counsel can suggest and prepare, but ultimately, direction is set by either management or union. You remove the players, but substitutes of like standing are put in their place.

By: SDFAN

SDFAN — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:55:20 +0000

Maybe the law has changed; but in the past, the biggest hammer the players had to force the owners to recognize and bargain with the union involved the draft. The only way that a draft of college players is not a violation of the anti-trust laws is that it is permitted in a collective bargaining agreement. Absent that agreement, any player drafted could sue and argue (probably successfully) that the draft itself is an illegal restraint of trade — it violates the anti-trust laws. The other issues could arguably be imposed by the league; but I don’t see how they get to keep the draft; particularly if the union decertifies as they did the last time they had a strike.

By: TFBuckFutter

TFBuckFutter — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:42:34 +0000

“DannyC420 says:
February 24, 2010 5:24 PM
I say lock it out. Have Open Tryouts to all fans, Pay half the salaries of what they were (I know I’d be happy making half of what the cheapeast player makes) and then let the fans play for their own team and duke it out with othe rfans on national T.V..”
If quality across the board goes way down, the competition will still remain the same, so really, you wouldn’t notice the dip in quality.

By: winkel33

winkel33 — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:42:10 +0000

it amazes me in these situations that the owners and players try to play the blame game – it isn’t our fault, it is their fault – in an attempt to win support from the fans. here is a newsflash – if there is no football, if multi-millionaire owners and players can’t find some way to agree and continue making their millions – fans won’t take sides. we will be angry with all sides. a work stoppage, especially in a down economic time, is simply a lose lose for all involved. i seriously worry about the leadership of all parties if they don’t understand this.

By: brownsfn

brownsfn — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:39:11 +0000

unions have run their course in this country…they are nothing but corruption nowadays…

By: Coutre1

Coutre1 — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:35:44 +0000

I say lock it out. Have Open Tryouts to all fans, Pay half the salaries of what they were (I know I’d be happy making half of what the cheapeast player makes) and then let the fans play for their own team and duke it out with othe rfans on national T.V..
There’s an idea for you!!!
***great idea. Its called the UFL.

By: raiders177

raiders177 — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:34:18 +0000

Damn you Ryan Kesler

By: This is not news

This is not news — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:29:16 +0000

Here are a few more headlines for you to use later:
Source: Some in union think life exists on other planets.
Source: Some in union think global warming is man made
Source: Some in union think the Gulf of Tonkin incident was fabricated
Source: Some in union think Castro/the mob/the Russians assassinated JFK
Source: Some in union think Obama is not a US Citizen

By: DannyC420

DannyC420 — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:24:06 +0000

By: SprintPhoneFTW

SprintPhoneFTW — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:18:48 +0000

Instead of paying the first overall picks each year upwards of 30 million guaranteed, cap it at 5 million and put the other 25 million into a ‘veteran trust’.
Use the ‘veteran trust’ to honor the back-loaded contract values of aging franchise icons so we never have to see things like Joe Montana in a Chiefs uni or Emmit Smith wearing a Cardinal, again.
Do stuff like that and you will foster a better working relationship between the union and ownership. Fans want to see their franchise icons stay!

By: Mike Florio

Mike Florio — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:16:47 +0000

@BossHog . . .
you are exactly right. this approach would be the equivalent of the union holding a gun to the owners’ heads — and to the players’.

By: KrazyTrumpeter05

KrazyTrumpeter05 — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:08:27 +0000

What a damn mess…
I hope there’s still football in a couple years.

By: Desides

Desides — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:59:35 +0000

“If the owners lock out the players, the union would then be in position to attempt to wreak havoc through the political connections of Executive Director De Smith, who already has suggested mutually harmful strategies like attacking the NFL’s broadcasting antitrust exemption and the tax-exempt status of the league office.”
Coincidentally, you mocked Rush Limbaugh for suggesting this during the Rams ownership scuffle.

By: BossHog

BossHog — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:52:04 +0000

One has to wonder if getting the tax-exempt status removed, going after the antitrust items, and other tactics might actually have a negative impact on the potential money available to the players. The NFL has built a huge business based on some of these benefits. If those are stripped away is there a chance revenues could drop dramatically or the cost of doing business would significantly increase? Plus owners could see increased risk which would require even higher rates of return = less they might be willing to spend.
Granted this is just an off-the-cuff gut reaction.