NFLPA Response to Owners Desire for 18-Game Season

[iamcline]

Someone needs to make a note that fans who develop an addict to the game of football should be compensated with at least 4 Psychiatric visits per year.

[RealisticFan]

Yeah, I was concerned when they elected a lawyer as the head of the NFLPA...

Yeah and the NFL Commissioner is a lawyer too. They should just take this to the Peoples Court, or Judge Judy and be through with it.

These lawyers and their egos.

[blackcatgrowl]

The two bye weeks and the expanded roster I would buy.

Increased salaries....bullshit. They are already paid for a years worth of service. They are not paid by the game.

Reduced workouts from 14 weeks to 4 weeks...what a crock of poo. Add two games and get 10 weeks off. The rest of us have to work 52 weeks a year.

The head of the NFLPA is a complete f**king idiot. He is going to do severe damage to the game of football before he is done.

This.

Not only is he an idiot, but his qualifications are completely suspect.

No one has offered any rational explanation why Demaurice Smith, a former Washington lawyer and a lobbyist, who never played Football at a college or pro level, was voted in for this job over three other really good candidates. He has his hands in some serious political crap, and is injecting this political activism into the NFLPA. He has stonewalled ownership, and made demands on confidential team-level profitability statements, which he has no business to.

At this point, I'd accept the NFL selling it's IP and contractual obligations and rights to a holding company, disbanding for a day, then reforming under a new corporate entity in a right-to-work state, then re-buying those rights. Anything to create a legal separation from the NFLPA. If the players don't want to go to work for the new company, then they are let go, and they just reboot the whole damn league with new drafts from 2011 and 2012.

There are hundreds of thousands of people who are athletic who would love to play in the NFL. Hell there may be untapped talent that makes current players look stupid.

[Swarly]

The idea is they won't be playing that year so there will be no worst team and no best team.

Duh.

so you'd want a team like the Patriots or Steelers or *random elite team* having a chance at the #1 overall?

I know I wouldn't

[mmmbeans]

The two bye weeks and the expanded roster I would buy.

Increased salaries....bullshit. They are already paid for a years worth of service. They are not paid by the game.

they aren't payed for "a year of whatever you want to do with them," salary isn't an arbitrary number it's derived from services provided.

would you work an extra month for free just because you're payed on salary?

[blackcatgrowl]

they aren't payed for "a year of whatever you want to do with them," salary isn't an arbitrary number it's derived from services provided.

would you work an extra month for free just because you're payed on salary?

Mmmbeans... have you ever heard of Exempt Salaries? People put in extra work for companies ALL THE TIME without extra pay.

http://careerplanning.about.com/od/federallawsus/g/def_exempt.htm

I have been exempt many times in my career. The demands of the job required me to work sometimes 60-70 hours a week for months at a time.

When you calculate the extra work you put in on a 60 hour work week, assuming 40 hours is a "normal" week, it only takes 2 months of doing this before you've worked an "extra month" worth of hours for the year.

Generally, people agree to these arrangements because the pay is significantly higher. In the case of NFL players, I'd say there is plenty of argument that all of them are paid well enough to be equivalent to an "Exempt" employee.

[The Saltman]

The reason why the league is trying to make this an 18 game season is to make more money. You really think the players will accept this when they cant make more money themselves? Keep dreaming.

[mmmbeans]

what is "equivalent to an exempt employee?"

are they exempt or aren't they?

And you being exempt many times in your career, would you be ok with with your company permanently re-structuring you pay scale to reflect that when the company itself is making significantly more money?

I sure as f*ck wouldn't. it's effectively a 13% pay cut.

[blackcatgrowl]

The reason why the league is trying to make this an 18 game season is to make more money. You really think the players will accept this when they cant make more money themselves? Keep dreaming.

I think part of the deal with a longer season was an agreement by the owners to meet the NFLPA half-way on their demands for pay and benefits increases.

They came back to the table and wanted more time off. I'm honestly starting to think Smith is trying to willfully damage football.

[blackcatgrowl]

what is "equivalent to an exempt employee?"

are they exempt or aren't they?

And you being exempt many times in your career, would you be ok with with your company permanently re-structuring you pay scale to reflect that when the company itself is making significantly more money?

I sure as f*ck wouldn't.

It depends. From what I understand, the two extra games would cut into the Preseason. Right now most starters play about a game and 3 quarters over 4 games in the preseaon (some more, some less depending on position and coaching).

But on average, all they are REALLY being expected to do is play an extra quarter. If this means the league agrees to some of the benefits increases they are asking for, I'd say it's a reasonable compromise.

Edit & P.S.: Because NFL players are hired on contract AND they are represented by agents and a union, I'm sure there are many more laws about their employment status than just Exempt and Non-exempt considerations.

[MadHatter]

You can understand the arguement. The owners and leaque will be increasing their revenue/profit so it is somewhat logical for the players to want some of that. Plus despite being paid "for a years worth of service" - regular season games adds the most risk to their bodies, careers etc so again it is logical to want to be compensated for that. When they signed their contracts it was based on 16 regular season games. If the owners change that and the contract did not stipulate they could then the plays have a right to expect additional pay for those 2 new games.

Overall I am not saying either side is right. I just think the whole thing is b.s and in every sport it just bugs me they all just push it off and never reallly get into serious real talks until a lockout or strike occurs. I know that is part of negatiating but its stupid. Just get the deal done. Each side plays a vital role in what makes the NFL what it is.

Nope...don't buy it.

The players are EMPLOYEES....not OWNERS.

They are not entitled to higher salaries becasue the company is making money.

Do you think your company will share the profits with you after this recession? Hell no.

[MadHatter]

they aren't payed for "a year of whatever you want to do with them," salary isn't an arbitrary number it's derived from services provided.

would you work an extra month for free just because you're payed on salary?

You are wrong.

They are provided an annual salary as part of their contract. They are not paid on a per game basis.

[The Saltman]

I hate u madhatter, u never give up or concede to anything do u?

[MadHatter]

Not when I am correct.

Actually, the arguement does not hold water for another reason.....the 18 game season would add two reg season games and drop 2 Pre-season games. Therefore, the number of games the players would be playing does not increase.

I don't blame the NFLPA wanting more money. Hell, they should take every opportunity to do so. Does not mean that their arguement has merit though.

I just have never bought into the whole "players deserve more becasue the franchise is doing well". The owners have their own personal weatlth invested in these teams. The players are "employees". They are paid to provide a service.....they are not partial owners who are entitled to a percentage of the profits.