The Patriots and the Jets don’t agree on many things, beyond the fact that they hate each other.
Finally, the owners of the two franchises have found some common ground.
On Tuesday, Pats owner Robert Kraft expressed optimism that a new labor deal can be worked out by the end of the year. On Friday, Jets owner Woody Johnson expressed a similar sentiment.
“I’m optimistic we can get something worked out
because we love our players,” Johnson said, according to Reuters.
Though Johnson didn’t provide a timetable for a new deal, he acknowledged that the owners received word on Tuesday that the league would lose $1 billion with a lockout that didn’t wipe out any regular-season games. "[The figures] were what was given to us,” Johnson said. “We have to be
ready for it.”
And Johnson seemed to agree with the notion that significant losses will arises even without a single missed snap in a game that matters.
“Sponsors need to sell transact business so I can
see where they’re coming from,” Johnson said. “If there’s a lockout, they’re
going to have to go elsewhere for a couple years. That’s the theory.”
The message is clear. In the 23 years since the last labor stoppage, the NFL has become too big to even seriously consider the option of shutting down.
And then there’s the fact that the NFL would lose even more money if the union manages to cobble together a successful collusion claim.