jbl429 says:
May 2, 2011 11:17 AM
the NFL is using quotes by a handful of players who have already made more money than the average NFL player will ever make. And they’re trying to say that a small minority of players is representing the majority.

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Maybe the players should have thought about that when picking the players that they named to lead their class-action lawsuit. Brady, Brees, Manning, Vincent Jackson, Logan Mankins, etc don’t really represent the majority of NFL players, but that’s who they went with. Had they picked a handful of low-level free agents and career backups to lead their lawsuit, the argument might be valid, but instead they went with the big names.
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Ndallas…I feel you on the reason behind your logic but if you think about it again, I am sure you will realize that the only way to protect players 100% from any “surprise cuts” that could possibly result from high profile union involvement was to pick players that their teams wouldn’t even dream of cutting/not re-signing/getting blackballed in FA because they are among the best at their positions. They even picked a highly ranking draft prospect who was considered by some to be the “safest pick in the draft” who is also of solid character to represent the lawsuit’s challenge of the draft. None of that is an accident I would guess.
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superspanky36 says: May 2, 2011 12:55 PM

The Browns owner isn’t complaining about not having enough profit, it’s Jerry Jones and the other highly profitable owners. Greed.
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You know, I dislike JJ immensely but this is not an example that supports your point well. There are two kinds of owners in the NFL: the inheritors and the money makers/business builders. Lerner never really earned anything. Everything was handed to him on a silver platter by the man who DID earn everything, his late father. And JJ, much as I don’t like him, is a self made man. If anyone has more right to complain, it’s an owner who is actually an earner and a business builder, not someone like Randy L. And I certainly want the people who earned it the least to have the smallest say in things. This is probably why the owners are likely at odds more with each other than with the players. JMO.

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Untrue

Most undrafted free agents who sign with a team get a signing bonus of 5k-35k. Everyone who invited to OTAs gets a per dium for meals, lodging of about $100/day and a weekly salary, of around $600-800/week.

Every day that goes by that’s closer to the start of the season, assuming it’s not delayed, means there is less of a chance that these undrafteds will make a the 53m roster or practice squad. Not only that, but by leaving these guys hanging in limbo, they are losing out on other opportunities. For example, if you were an undrafted, by Monday night you would know if you were going to be heading to training camp. If your phone didnt ring, you would then start preparing a plan B, whether its Arena or some non-football related career.

Every second that the lockout is in place is costing these guys valuable time and opportunties that can NEVER be replaced. Pretty much the text book definition of irreparable harm

I ask this because, while the undrafted players who teams might sign might indeed suffer irreparable harm, the fact that many of them will never even get a whiff of an NFL contract, let alone an NFL game might suggest that their harm arises from their inability to crack a roster, potential refusal to play in other leagues (CFL, UFL, etc.) and/or their ill-timed decision to declare and, thus, become ineligible for college ball.

When involved in a matter such as this, it is best for the parties other than the lawyers to shut the heck up, because otherwise they risk becoming their own worst enemies. The NFLPA (asterisk or otherwise) should have made this perfectly clear to its members, as should the NFL to the owners/commissioner.

Silly/stupid? Maybe.

The way the law works? You bet.

You keep whining about missing free agency and potentially a few games this year like it’s the end of the world.

I would put the vision the NFLPA has for the future of football at a much bigger issue that this website refuses to even acknowledge.

I would gladly give up this entire season if it meant the owners retained a majority of power, restrictions on owner spending remained in place, a reasonable rookies salary structure gets instituted and player movement is restricted to allow developed players to stay on the teams doing the good work of drafting well and coaching well.

Are these things legal? Probably not. But those rules make for the best product to watch and enjoy. And as a fan of the NFL, that’s what I’m rooting for the most. NOT weather games happen on some silly time-table that doesn’t mean anything in the big picture.

The players have a solid case for “irreparable harm” considering around 300 players that weren’t drafted this last weekend would have been signed by now if they stay had not been granted on Friday.

Those players are facing a VERY serious risk to their careers. If there are no mini-camps, and players are not allowed to prepare for the season until pre-season at the earliest, than those players will likely NEVER been signed.

I would call that irreparable harm…in a big way.
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I disagree. Each team will have their 53 man active roster + practice squad before the first game of the season.

They don’t get paid until they make that 53 man opening day roster. Unless you can argue that the league would have larger roster (more employees) then I don’t see the irreperable harm.

For every undrafted FA that you think might get a job there’s another player that would have to lose his. In that case, anyone who loses a job to an undrafted FA would be irreperably harmed by the lockout being lifted.

Don’t watch football much then do you? These guys won’t be signed until about August.

Those players are facing a VERY serious risk to their careers.
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I have news for you. Those “players” are already facing a serious “risk” to their chances of playing in the league. It’s called undertalented , not lockout.
The odds are against them of ever having a “career” in the league. They were undrafted for a reason,,,all 32 teams dont think they are good enough to waste a pick on.

Those players are facing a VERY serious risk to their careers. If there are no mini-camps, and players are not allowed to prepare for the season until pre-season at the earliest, than those players will likely NEVER been signed.

I would call that irreparable harm…in a big way.”
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This.

In the battle of irreperable harms, it is really, really hard to imagine judges determining that the harm suffered by undrafted players that arises by permitting a lockout to remain in effect, during the appeals process, is less than the
irreperable harm suffered by the owners by removing the lockout.

Would there be annoyances? uncertainty? yes..but overall the owners argument that the Judges smackdown order should be stayed is extraordinarily weak. I honestly would be shocked if the lockout isnt lifted, by tonight.

Foe being a Lawyer you sure are not right on the majority of your calls regarding this so far. Does not look like the Lower Court Judge had such a Air Tight Ruling locked up in her decision as you claimed.

As for the Fans?, I am a Fan and I am loving it. I want to see the owners bring these greedy players that are trying to change the game to their knees. Do you think the owners are going to let some immature jerk that thinks he is cool wearing a Truck Tire around his neck studded in Diamonds change the game the real Football players that came before them built. For what the WR punk they drafted in Dallas?

Grant the stay and bring these players to their knees, protect the game NFL because the players could give 2 ^%$#@ about the game, they are all about the money and the Bling lol

You show the NFL owners whose boss just like you showed MLB !

Those players are facing a VERY serious risk to their careers. If there are no mini-camps, and players are not allowed to prepare for the season until pre-season at the earliest, than those players will likely NEVER been signed.

I would call that irreparable harm…in a big way.

Are you ready for some lawyer football?

That isn’t collusion. It is ONE COMPANY deciding to pay its players no more than $100K. If they do that, their payroll is around $6 million. Even if they absolutely suck, they will take in more than that over the course of a season plus the TV revenue. And who is to stop them? There’s no union. There can’t be collusion because it is the Browns acting as they want as they are their own entity. Benefits? Nah, go somewhere else. 401(k)? Nope. Retirement funds? Screw you go play for the Cowboys. Oh they are full? I guess you are SOL then. Try the UFL…I am sure they will pay you more.

What it will come down to is a bunch of smaller market teams will not pay for the FAs and their roster will be full of rookies and 2nd year players. They will have all this turnover, and after about 5 or 6 years, the league will be 10% being the cream of the crop, guys like Brady, Manning, etc. And the other 90% will be 1st and 2nd year guys. Those guys with 4-6 years experience, who may or may not be Free agents right now, will either play for less, be good enough to demand more, or be SOL.

I agree with rickyoung1212, greed is ruining it all. When 50 million is not enough because you want 51 million, you are just plain greedy. New players will never realize they don’t deserve 50 million for simply getting drafted and never playing a game.

Both sides are at fault. Both think they don’t make enough money. Oddly enough the ones that make the least money are the ones you don’t hear complaining…I haven’t seen one minimum wage player saying anything about not getting paid more, only the ones with more money than all of the posters on this thread will ever see. The Browns owner isn’t complaining about not having enough profit, it’s Jerry Jones and the other highly profitable owners. Greed.

Find a way to end this petty “Millionaires vs. Billionaires” squabble and let’s get back to business as usual before players get out of shape and lose their chemistry as a team making whenever they do play again boring and unentertaining!

On no!!! Please no!!!!
Please Mr. DEmo Smith, don’t send the Bonnie and Cyde of the league to rub me out.

Don’t you have an ambulance to chase? Or a gullible wife to convince into long drawn out costly divorce?

Steve McMichael said it best that he will suffer the same fate as a lot of the senior former players have suffered through and that was proven today by the report that his teammate Dave Duerson had CTE.

To the players its all about getting paid. There are more important things in life like family and those retired players are their family and what they are doing is telling their parents and other family members to bug off.

Let them sit, rot and feel how is life without football. Just maybe then they will get their priorities straight.

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Maybe the players should have thought about that when picking the players that they named to lead their class-action lawsuit. Brady, Brees, Manning, Vincent Jackson, Logan Mankins, etc don’t really represent the majority of NFL players, but that’s who they went with. Had they picked a handful of low-level free agents and career backups to lead their lawsuit, the argument might be valid, but instead they went with the big names.