I hope the owners bust the union, and drive salaries down to where they were in the good old days – in 1969, Tom Seaver (different sport, I know) made $90,000!

Whatever you may think about this situation, there is a special place in hell for scabs … and the people who support them.

Most of your commentary suggests the exact opposite, Mike. Been reading your site for six years, love your work, but I really wish your commentary was consistent with your claim. The tone of your posts pegs you as squarely on the players’ side, and the angry undercurrent running throughout the majority of your commentary on this issue is rather unbecoming.

You can get your point across without the cheap shots at the owners (clever asides like “Scrooge McDuck coffers”) while criticizing them for not “respecting” the players… or your continued calls for the owners to cave 100% to the NFLPA*’s demands, while ignoring the reality that the players have not, and are unwilling to, negotiate.

Not sure what’s at the root of it, but you’re a lawyer, and by all accounts, were pretty successful at it. You’d not have gotten that far if you didn’t know how to negotiate, and didn’t understand the process. All of which makes so much of your commentary on the issue all the more curious.

suiting up counts as playing. no union member as of the day before the sham decert can apply.

offer them no more than 10% more than the going rates in the best paying other football league out there, per game, if the games are played and they are in them.

then watch duh get thrown off a tall building. and the players cave for even “less”.

The Washington Team Football may be referred to as “WTF” in newspapers seeking to avoid further legal issues with “TMD”*

*The Midget Dictator

When I was in college at a PAC-10 school, I used to tutor for the athletic department to earn some extra cash.

The stories I can tell!

Your acting like spoiled children you dumb jocks.

If we’re being honest, most players and fans dislike Goodell–with good reason. He keeps claiming he’s pursuing policies fans want, such as European expansion and an 18-game season, when polls say we don’t want them. He spent the season blathering about safety while fining players for obviously legal hits. But he’s done nothing about poor officiating. It might help if bad hits were flagged as they occurred. But Goodell has proved he’s not interested in problem-solving, but only in playing to the cameras.

No wonder the players reacted negatively to a letter from a commissioner they dislike and distrust. It was a foolish gesture.

Where is my freakin’ letter you shifty a-hole?

Meanwhile, their “leaders” refuse to make a move toward returning to the bargaining table as it appears litigation is what they truly wanted all along.

On top of everything else, the players are telling us how stupid they think we are when they think that we don’t understand anything by siding against them.

Then get back to the table and show us something guys and get this thing over with. Or at best, one of you at least tell us why you won’t re-start negotiations.

I’m sure the NFL is surprised that ONE WEEK into the lockout and half the players haven’t had to file for bankruptcy.

We’ll see how this looks when the real paychecks start getting missed. Baby mama’s lawyer isn’t going to be happy when those payments start get missed. . .

It was a brilliant move.

Why can’t the players understand that this was nothing more than an offer with some concessions. The next step is to counter with desired adjustments accompanied by concessions to less critical points as incentive to get the other side to agree to some the new proposals. Rinse and repeat.

The amateur psychologist in me likes to point out that when stupid people are presented with a situation that they are too stupid to comprehend more often then not they lash out in anger. Stupid people are also apt to blindly follow and violently defend one they believe can comprehend the situation and that can gain their trust.

Who cares if franchises become completely unprofitable in the future due to the current 15% annual player salary increases, at least we will be able to watch the league die amidst all of our favorite players retiring really, really rich!

The point is that the NFL made an offer, regardless of how you want to characterize it.

All the fans – and likely members of the NFLPA – are all still waiting for your counter offer.

That’s da fact, Jack.