Comments on: ESPN backs off prediction that players will vote Friday

By: 07vrod

07vrod — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 21:03:01 +0000

If what mackie66 says come to fruition, then the NFL product would suffer for about 3-4 years as new talent (college draft) is influx within the new league. But just think the average fan would once again be able to afford to buy a ticket and go to a game w/o taking a second mortgage out on their house…send the player’s lawyers straight back to hell!

By: zeussuperman

zeussuperman — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 20:49:23 +0000

Wow, what’s with the Republican right-wing vitriol here?

Do you guys really have such little in your lives that you have to get your shots in on a football website?

Turn off your fat, pill-popping, little-boy sex tourist idol Rush Limbaugh and try — just try –to be relevant here. Just because your political party prefers to live in the early 1800′s doesn’t mean you need to.

By: mackie66

mackie66 — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 19:59:09 +0000

Players are not voting till early next week, if then. Kessler is attempting to steal the union from the NFLPA in order to gut the NFL. Kessler is looking at a 500 million payday and needs the players to do it. The whys and wherefores have already been mentioned by PFT. There is simply no reason for the players not to vote tonight or tomorrow on the new CBA and to reconstitute the union. The players are dreaming about owning half of the NFL. The owners will simply close the doors, release every player from contract and start over the way they want IT,,,IT being the NFL. To many cooks in the kitchen. This looks really bad if your an NFL fan. I can help but laugh. Id love to see the players comment business suicide.

By: stairwayto7

stairwayto7 — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 19:26:15 +0000

ESPN is nothign but lies and make up their own stories! The world wide loser is losing it!

By: bobbyhoying

bobbyhoying — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:58:54 +0000

The players care about the details like Pelosi and the Dems read the healthcare bill. Go ahead and vote no so your loans remain past due and the repo guys can come get your cars.

By: melikefootball

melikefootball — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:36:51 +0000

Last word from players rep’s, they want a statue of Smith in front of every stadium before start of season.

By: 07vrod

07vrod — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:32:56 +0000

PLAYERS,”It’s too hot to go to training camp.”

SMITH, ” OK, I have a couple ideas, first we’ll require hand written cards signed by every player and have them mailed.

LAWYERS, “Ok, we’ll come up with some legal BS to slow this down.”

FANS, “wait, what???”

By: rollerino1

rollerino1 — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:28:12 +0000

Guys, really?

By: jokendave

jokendave — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:08:35 +0000

To those confussed: Players are employee’s, Owners run the companys. If you don’t like getting thousands of dollars for working at a GAME, find other employment. You are well paid for your time, if you don’t protect your spending for a rainy day,you can’t blame the owners. There is always another player to relace you. Greed will get you a short career ask J.Russell. The union is out to ruin the sport, not help it. It wants power, not compromise. Unions have ruined more buisness’s than any other group.(Check the stats) This could have been settles months ago if it weren’t for unions and lawyers. WHO’S STILL CONFUSSED???? NOW GET THE GAME STARTED!!!!!!

By: mathsimillion

mathsimillion — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:57:42 +0000

granadafan says:

You wouldn’t sign a rental agreement with a landlord with whom you’ve had a long dispute without taking the time to read every single line. Why do you expect the players to suddenly agree without reading it?

Reading the many negative comments, it’s reasonable to come to the conclusion that many of the posters are 1) paid PR staff by the league; b) naive and ignorant; or c) just want to blame someone.

_______________________________

If my lawyers and the guys I hired to represent me worked with the lanlord to come up with a fair rental agreement for the last few months then yes I would still read it but I would also believe that I’d know what was in it before reading it because those guys I hired would have kept me apprised of what they had agreed to on my behalf.

Your analogy is dumb and doesn’t fit the situation because it implies the owners made this deal and gave it to the players to sign without help from the players lawyers or under direct mediation of a Judge.

By: 07vrod

07vrod — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:51:47 +0000

I am just sick and tired of all this childish BS. Doesn’t one single writer out there have at least half a brain to ask for specifics, you know real answers. Or is their sole purpose that of a media tool/drone and try to become the first to say I published the story first. With all the nonsense written, am I lead to believe that while at the 11th hour the owners are going to sabotage months and months of negotiations?!! Too many of the fans and readers have become nothing more than gullible antennas tuning in and spewing forth the propaganda that’s fed to you. But what makes me worry about the actual educational mentality of us as a nation, is the fact, no matter what is written and how absurd, there are many out there replying like they just read the gospel. **shakes head in disbelief** The truth of the matter is either the players are receiving bad information form self serving lawyers (possibly)…OR, they themselves are playing childish power trip games with the league and will continue to do so until 1 or maybe 2 of the pre-season games are cancelled.(more likely) (bargained for but didn’t get a 2 game pre-season) This time of the year what player wants to go to training camp?(have you asked yourself that question?) Now concerning the “illegal” or “underhanded clause” is nothing more than the League requiring the NFLPA to unionize again so that no individual players can bring lawsuits against the NFL. No the NFL can not make them, nor give them a time table to become a union, that has to be of their own free will. But to have a “collective bargaining agreement” there must be a “collective” therefore a union! There is a time table to get the NFL back to normal operations, this doesn’t happen as soon as the lock-out is lifted. The front office has a multitude of responsibilities concerning ALL aspects of football operations to get in order. They don’t just show up – get a physical, playbook and go workout. I just hope the masses begin to look outside the box, read between the lines, and think for themselves.

By: granadafan

granadafan — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:50:02 +0000

ESPN was hoodwinked by the publicity stunt by the owners on Thursday when they agreed to the contract THEY wrote.

Reading the many negative comments, it’s reasonable to come to the conclusion that many of the posters are 1) paid PR staff by the league; b) naive and ignorant; or c) just want to blame someone.

By: vetdana

vetdana — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:45:45 +0000

Without them, you don’t tune in on Sundays. And they put their bodies at risk in ways you can’t even imagine.

Are you kidding ? …..There is a FAR GREATER chance that WITH THEM…..we won’t be watching football this season !!!!!!!!!!!!and besides that…”The sky is falling “

By: thefiesty1

thefiesty1 — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:42:37 +0000

DeMo doesn’t need to be there. He’s the one that decertified the union and walked out. The players just need to get off their ass and vote.

By: mathsimillion

mathsimillion — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:28:56 +0000

These guys apparently can’t do a single thing without De Smith.

It also seems like they can’t do a damn thing with him either.

If a single regular season game is missed because of this I will not watch a single game on tv.

These guys don’t give a crap about us. That much is evident.

They obviously feel we are replaceable. Shouldn’t we feel the same way about them?

By: southpaw2k

southpaw2k — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:26:20 +0000

First of all, let me once again express my condolences to the Kraft family. I’m sure Myra’s passing was expected given her battle with cancer, but that doesn’t ease the pain of her loss. God rest her soul.

Now….this has become the equivalent of a couple who dates for a while, and then one of the people backs off saying s/he isn’t quite ready for a committed relationship yet. Then some time later, the person who had originally backed off approaches the other for another shot, claiming s/he is truly ready for a relationship. They give it another go, and that same person still comes back a couple weeks later with the same excuse. The cycle keeps repeating, driving both sides (and friends of each person) mad. On one hand, it’s comical, but on the other, it’s infuriating and frustrating. I realize the importance of reading through all the legalese and understanding the details, but if the players do want a full season they’re going to have to move quickly.

By: bjb2865

bjb2865 — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:12:46 +0000

Ok…The owners started the lockout and now they have unlocked the doors. So,…Now they are telling the players…come back to work…Yet they dont come back to work. BUT…Its not a strike,becuz they arent a certified union as of now. SO,,they players are in a quandry. The owners did pull a fast one,,but the players deserve it. the lockout was never about them anyway. They have more than what they started with..they are just mad becuz the owners have put the ball in their court. Makes them look bad. If theres no football ,,its not the owners fault.

By: easyeddie

easyeddie — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:07:42 +0000

Mort got punked again by his source?

By: panther17

panther17 — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:04:04 +0000

Anyone else look at the picture and think D Smith is about to break out “Sittin’ on a toilet”

By: sonicsleuth

sonicsleuth — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:03:30 +0000

Bills player rep George Wilson put his foot in his mouth this morning with Tony Bruno, saying they just wanted a “profitable” deal for everyone, then promptly saying “It’s not about the money.”

Yes, George, it is about the money, and we all know it. He threw in some grandstanding about how the owners “slipped in” a requirement to recertify by Tuesday, pretending we live in a world without conference calls (legal voting procedure) and next-day delivery ( that can reach all 1920 players).

I suppose the players will become familiar with delivery procedures when they get UPS jobs.

By: bjb2865

bjb2865 — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:54:29 +0000

They are actually making congress and the government look good,and thats hard to do.

By: deadeye

deadeye — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:37:37 +0000

It makes no sense for ESPN to back off of any prediction. Instead they should continue to make uninformed predictions ad nauseam so at least some of them will come true. It’s kind of like a broken clock being right twice per day.

By: jetsetfred

jetsetfred — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:36:12 +0000

The Reason the Player Reps didnt send it out for a vote is because the majority of the players want football.. If you think it’s a crooked deal.. send it to the table ,let the majority vote and veto the darn thing down.. Then and only then go back to the nego table.. but you know.. they know they can’t do that.. and the league pull a powe move on them. and lifting the lockout… lolz Amazing!

By: thephantomstranger

thephantomstranger — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:33:01 +0000

Once again, it’s a reminder that no one knows exactly how this will all end.
_______

I’m beginning to wonder if we should change that sentence to no one knows exactly IF this will all end.

By: bunkmcnulty

bunkmcnulty — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:26:30 +0000

You have to love the era we’re in. I have my laptop, smartphone, ipad, text messages, blog sites, RSS feeds, the internet, Facebook, Twitter, etc. As do all the reporters, lawyers, players, and agents.

Does anybody else think that maybe this would not seem nearly as dramatic if there were a few less ways to report things? I know how much I, and everyone else loves football. Believe me I do. But a little less reporting at this point would be great. Just let us know when it’s done.

I feel like we’re watching sausage being made.

By: jetsetfred

jetsetfred — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:25:15 +0000

I mean sue to lock it again??

By: jetsetfred

jetsetfred — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:24:44 +0000

If the owners lift the lockout.. What the “Union” going to Do? Sue to unlock it again?

By: greenbay4ever

greenbay4ever — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:24:10 +0000

How can the players say that owners tried to slip stuff in when they admitted they haven’t even seen the deal yet. Rhetoric. It’s all noise at this point. If they miss games the players will be hurt the most. I am sure the patriots owner and most owner will be ok.

By: jamaltimore

jamaltimore — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:23:55 +0000

Why do we believe the players and think they should not trust the owners? Who looks dumber the owners for signing an agreement that the players supposedly hadn’t even seen before or the players for acting like they just found out about the final agreement last night. I also heard from some that the owners put all this stuff in there that wasn’t discussed? LIKE WHAT?

By: fballguy

fballguy — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:20:17 +0000

Are we really expected to believe that the NFL owners, smart business men that they are…really expected the NFLPA to vote on an eight pm conference call without being provided a copy of the CBA? How is it possible that D. Smith didn’t have or couldn’t easily obtain a copy? Weren’t the NFLPA lawyers involved in writing it? It’s just so entirely implausible.

When I heard Smith give his “Well guess what?” speech yesterday afternoon, I knew they were grandstanding….and that’s exactly what’s taking place right now. This is on the players. Their motives are transparent….and they just look bad.