Comments on: Mort: League privately says there won’t be a total shutdown

By: stairwayto7

stairwayto7 — Thu, 12 May 2011 20:36:40 +0000

Another bogus story by the 4 letter network! Name names Mort, or will you get black-balled from Hopsings??

By: contraryguy

contraryguy — Thu, 12 May 2011 20:28:55 +0000

Mort would’ve said there are no US tanks in Baghdad if he thought it’d be a scoop.

By: tommyf15

tommyf15 — Thu, 12 May 2011 19:04:44 +0000

George Canty says:
NFL owners seem to have this very unsophisticated view of the legal system — that judges are more influenced by who the parties are than what the law says, that judges will tolerate cute attempts to defy their orders, etc. Bottom line is that the NFL is a monopoly, no matter how you slice it, and judges aren’t going to let a monopoly engage in clearly monopolistic behavior.

I agree 100% with one caveat- the courts and congress can get downright silly when it comes to matters involving professional sports.

George Canty says:
It’s too bad the owners have been so heavy-handed, because it’s distracted attention from Jeff Kessler, who is CRAZY. The NFL has hit on a great formula (draft, free agency, salary cap) that maximizes competitiveness throughout the league. Kessler’s idea of ending all this would mean curtains for the league — classic short term thinking.

It would not mean the end of the NFL, not by a long shot. Despite an occasional claim to the contrary, MLB is doing just fine without a salary cap and a draft that is fat less meaningful than the NFL’s.

I see no harm in letting the NFL giving a true free market system a try.

By: thefiesty1

thefiesty1 — Thu, 12 May 2011 17:31:31 +0000

Yes he can be pitch perfect in everything he says. He has to be very specific and perfectly clear. He is the head of a multi-billion dollar business. With all this crap going on, he has no choice but to be perfectly clear in anything that he says.

By: bigbeefyd

bigbeefyd — Thu, 12 May 2011 16:56:27 +0000

Maybe the UFL would then expand to 38 teams (the 5 they have, the players and coaches from the now-defunct NFL, and one expansion team). Go Locos!

By: tommyf15

tommyf15 — Thu, 12 May 2011 16:42:31 +0000

even if the option is being discussed solely as a way to vent the frustrations of billionaires who are accustomed to getting their way

That’s exactly what’s going to bite the owners in their collective arses in this labor dispute.

The owners’ ego are telling them that since they have always won in the previous labor battles, they will continue to win in the future, without examining the issues at hand.

By: itsallaboutmee

itsallaboutmee — Thu, 12 May 2011 16:40:53 +0000

Chris Mortenson is the Jeff George of reporters.

Maddeningly inconsistent, unable to handle simple throws, yet is capable of hitting the big one every now and then. The only thing I am not sure of is if Whitlock has Mort on his speed dial like he does Jeff.

By: jimr10

jimr10 — Thu, 12 May 2011 16:01:58 +0000

Well, if Mort said it, it must be true. LOL

By: ampats

ampats — Thu, 12 May 2011 15:47:19 +0000

The same Chris Mortensen who reported last summer that Tom Brady was unhappy with his contract status and would hold out of training camp.

We saw how that prediction worked out.

By: bmac187

bmac187 — Thu, 12 May 2011 15:38:17 +0000

For those of you without a law degree asking “Why don’t the owners just (insert stupid idea)?”, the simple answer is there are legal ramifications you don’t understand or grasp.

By: 2011to2020lions

2011to2020lions — Thu, 12 May 2011 15:31:13 +0000

I am at the point of WHO REALLY CARES anymore!!!

By: smacklayer

smacklayer — Thu, 12 May 2011 15:30:52 +0000

I’m confused, isn’t there a shutdown right now? Don’t they plan on continuing until a new CBA is signed?

By: andrewfbrowne

andrewfbrowne — Thu, 12 May 2011 15:30:48 +0000

This is kinda dumb, and to say Goodell wasn’t on point for not categorically denying a stupid question is silly. Goodell took the high road and neither confirmed nor denied a baseless rumor and said we are considering lots of options. Since when is not acknowlegding something admiting it is true?

By: willycents

willycents — Thu, 12 May 2011 15:27:39 +0000

Of course shutdown/out of business is an option. Most idiots know that is an option. Whether or not is a viable option is purely up to the owners, not to news media stories and conjectures. It has to be on the table for negotiations to succeed.
Imagine the hysteria in the media if it was disclosed that the nuclear option was “on the table” in the Iran nuclear reactor situation. If I was president, any possible option, however unpalatable, not presented to me would really piss me off and I would fire whomever did not presentit, howbeit briefly.
Anyone who thinks that has not been mentioned/is not being discussed is incredibly naive. No news here, just trying to fan the public fears and generate hate for one or the other side in a labor dispute.

By: nahcouldntbethat

nahcouldntbethat — Thu, 12 May 2011 15:20:01 +0000

There isn’t going to be a total shutdown. Nobody in their right mind just goes out of business when they are running a billion dollar concern and that’s what many of the NFL teams are.

Before the NFL went out of business you’d see many teams file for bankruptcy individually in an attempt to salvage part of the value inherent in the franchise.

The NFL owners are handicapped in this entire process by the fact that they are making money hand over fist. They want more of it, but the fact is that the NFL is a wildly profitable concern. Even the weak teams that do not put a viable product on the field are making money.

We’re going to look back at this in about 5 years and laugh really hard at how contorted things got before reality set in and both sides went back to the status quo.

Well, hopefully we’ll laugh. This could spin out of control and then nobody will be laughing on either side.

By: olskool711

olskool711 — Thu, 12 May 2011 15:15:36 +0000

It seems pretty simple to me.

The reason why Goodell wouldn’t deny a total shutdown is that a total shutdown is probably what will happen, exactly what will happen, unless the Players look at what the owners put on the table and start negotiating from there.

Hate to make things too simple. But, that’s where we are at.

By: deadmanwalking47

deadmanwalking47 — Thu, 12 May 2011 15:07:30 +0000

the tinfoil does’nt help cheeseheads much anyway!

By: mick730

mick730 — Thu, 12 May 2011 15:04:06 +0000

“Why give NBC and the ex-NFLPA a chance to form a real alternative.”

NBC can’t even run it’s own business profitably.

By: GG Eden

GG Eden — Thu, 12 May 2011 14:44:54 +0000

Mort is a professional liar…..Al Davis.

By: Rhode Island Patriots Fan

Rhode Island Patriots Fan — Thu, 12 May 2011 14:40:16 +0000

Goodell played it perfectly during the PFT interview. Specifically, the league should neither acknowledge nor dismiss the possibility—however real or remote—of the shutdown option. That “card” should be kept where it belongs—on the table.

By: chapnastier

chapnastier — Thu, 12 May 2011 14:37:01 +0000

@ clinton

If you think the NFLPA or the players are bright enough to start their own league or are willing to actually invest their own money into forming a new league then you are sadly out of your mind.

This is Mort doing the usual pro-player media song and dance. ESPN is surprisingly more biased than PFT.

By: George Canty

George Canty — Thu, 12 May 2011 14:23:07 +0000

NFL owners seem to have this very unsophisticated view of the legal system — that judges are more influenced by who the parties are than what the law says, that judges will tolerate cute attempts to defy their orders, etc. Bottom line is that the NFL is a monopoly, no matter how you slice it, and judges aren’t going to let a monopoly engage in clearly monopolistic behavior.

It’s too bad the owners have been so heavy-handed, because it’s distracted attention from Jeff Kessler, who is CRAZY. The NFL has hit on a great formula (draft, free agency, salary cap) that maximizes competitiveness throughout the league. Kessler’s idea of ending all this would mean curtains for the league — classic short term thinking.

By: mhs8031

mhs8031 — Thu, 12 May 2011 14:22:36 +0000

When the lawyers become the players and the reporters are the news, it is time to find another hobby.

By: armchairgm9

armchairgm9 — Thu, 12 May 2011 14:20:04 +0000

So you’re speculating on your speculation…

By: santolonius

santolonius — Thu, 12 May 2011 14:16:41 +0000

the cheesehead with tinfoil suggestion you make does not seem that farfetched now that you mention it. all day every day these guys (on both sides) sit around and strategize how to gain an advantage instead of spending time coming up with a proposal that could be seen as moving to the middle. some of their advantage gaining strategy ideas must get kind of convoluted.

By: pacstud

pacstud — Thu, 12 May 2011 14:14:25 +0000

And the mediot puppets continue to dance for our abusement.

By: bhindenemylines

bhindenemylines — Thu, 12 May 2011 14:10:48 +0000

“He does a lot of extemporaneous speaking”

In other words “He talks out of his @$$ a lot, so you should never really believe a word he says”.

Great commish!!!

By: joetoronto

joetoronto — Thu, 12 May 2011 14:10:39 +0000

More irresponsible reporting from BSPN.

By: crazy2bbengals

crazy2bbengals — Thu, 12 May 2011 14:10:30 +0000

anything you hear between now and the court ruling is all posturing, in an attempt to get the upper hand in negotiations. Nothing will happen until someone feels pain!

Realistically the owners cannot shut down. A shut down would invite more lawsuits from players who have contracts as well as the Networks which have contracts. Owners could be forced to pay money out with nothing coming in…you really think this old bastards are going to let that happen?

By: yzguy431

yzguy431 — Thu, 12 May 2011 14:10:22 +0000

i should start my own blog so i can start ‘initial rumblings’.