Beasons tweet about the CBA

[Panthers128]

They should just not have a season since they can't come to a compromise. If either side gives up what they asked for, they will set a precedence for future labor agreements.

[blackcatgrowl]

Smith isn't an idiot even though he's coming across as one. Its all posturing

Posturing?

It's posturing to sound tough between trips to the negotiation table.

It's being an idiot to not come to the negotiation table AT ALL, and continue to talk poo with 35 days left on a contract.

[The Saltman]

Posturing?

It's posturing to sound tough between trips to the negotiation table.

It's being an idiot to not come to the negotiation table AT ALL, and continue to talk poo with 35 days left on a contract.

on twitter

[blackcatgrowl]

on twitter

lol, exactly.

[bleys]

I understand your point about the differences in pre-season vs regular season games. And, I do agree that it does provide more risk of injury.

But, these are the same players that are bitching and moaning because Goddell is trying to eliminate some of the violence in the game.

If everything they do is about safety, why don't they accept the rule changes as good for "their safety"?

This is about money on both sides, plain and simple. For them to try and spin it another way just comes across as ridiculous.

They should not be provided health care after they leave the league. Regular workers don't get healthcare paid for after they leave their jobs. They know the physical requirements of the job long before they enter the league. That is a price they pay to make millions.

I agree with all of that.. definitely valid points..

aside from the arguments the players and owners are both trying to make.. I sit thinking, "damn, the Panthers have to try to get through 18 games healthy now instead of 16"..

I guess I'm arguing my side, not the players or owners..

[countryboi]

i think the avg fan is a little out of touch with how little money these guys take home...after uncle sam, agents, a home, a car, bills, living life and the fact that the avg life span in the NFL is only 3 years....how much of this is left? now keep in mind this has to last him the rest of his life.....now where does the money from healthcare come in? yea they make a lot more money than most of us will ever see but its not all unicorns and rainbows either

[csx]

i think the avg fan is a little out of touch with how little money these guys take home...after uncle sam, agents, a home, a car, bills, living life

The average fan knows exactly what it's like to have these same expenses, minus the agent. Are we supposed to feel sorry for them because they choose to purchase expensive houses and cars?

[blackcatgrowl]

i think the avg fan is a little out of touch with how little money these guys take home...after uncle sam, agents, a home, a car, bills, living life and the fact that the avg life span in the NFL is only 3 years....how much of this is left? now keep in mind this has to last him the rest of his life.....now where does the money from healthcare come in? yea they make a lot more money than most of us will ever see but its not all unicorns and rainbows either

/facepalm

Oh noes!!! He an NFL player has to make a couple million last for the rest of his life, IF HE NEVER WORKS AGAIN....

The pity for rich men here is astonishing. Here's a repost of some data from another CBA thread last week.

If you read it, and comprehend, you'll see that these guys are NOT hurting for money.

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5005211_wh...l-players.html

Quote:

What is the Average Salary of NFL Players?

By an eHow Contributor

The average NFL salary is a shade under $1.8 million in 2009, but that can be a misleading number. Less than a quarter of the roughly 1,800 NFL players make that amount, and less than half make a million dollars per season. In reality, the NFL isn't nearly the "easy money" venue that many fans think. The majority of players never even see a million dollars for their career. Yet, a select few do end up quite rich.

The Base Salary

1. The league minimum is $295,000, according to the NFL Players Association. That money is guaranteed for any player who is on an active roster for at least three games.

The Average Base Salary

2. The average base salary was $990,000, but players can make much more money than that, according to a analysis of NFL salary databases.

The Average Signing Bonus

3. Signing bonuses are the ways that most players make their money. The average signing bonus for all players is $1.34 million, which is a large number considering that almost 600 players don't have one in their current contract.

Other Bonuses

4. Players can sign various other bonuses into their contracts, which unlike signing bonuses, count as part of the total salary. That average was $440,000 during the 2008 season.

Salaries Per Team

5. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers spent a little more than $1.4 million per player in the 2008 season. That included 37 players making more than $1 million. The Green Bay Packers had the lowest median average at $640,000.

Now this is the part that makes me LOL, and shows media bias for the NFLPA...

Quote:

The Fine Print

6. While many of the salaries look gigantic compared to the average paycheck, these are not guaranteed. That means the money vanishes as soon as a player is cut, retires or leaves the team.

Yes, as soon as they hang their cleats up for the last time, a magical money gremlin appears before them, kicks their asses, takes their wallet and empties every ATM statewide cleaning out their bank accounts.

Now... lets talk about reality... and what this kind of money really IS if properly managed.

If the player was diligent and saved up just a quarter of that $990,000 per year each monthly check, that's $20,625 a month. (Consequently, he would have had about that much to live off of while he's playing, after taxes).

Each month, he deposits that money into an IRA. If he retires after just THREE YEARS, and doesn't work again, he can withdraw $5000 a month to live off of for 16 YEARS

http://www.planningtips.com/cgi-bin/...Calculate.y=16

Yeah... that's not "vanishing" overnight. The media and the NFLPA is so full of crap. $5000 a month to live off of is way above poverty ($60,000 a year)

And this is just an IRA. There are much more aggressive investment options out there that can yield higher payouts.

Keep in mind... that's if he never works again, isn't married or has a partner that doesn't work.

[coralreefer_1]

Exactly. Lets take our own Steve Smith for example whos home for sale had pictures on this site. Now just because a player CAN afford to buy a house big enough for 25 people does not mean it is a prudent way to spend that money.

Regardless of the taxes/agents etc mentioned above..many players just let it go to their heads..buy out the clubs to host parties for their friends...roll around town in a 400,000 dollar car...etc etc etc. Now that is their right to do that because they can afford it...but I just have a problem when folks throw away all their money so easily, then complain they need more to cover health care costs that they were not prudent enough to plan for.

Frankly the way I see it..they are paid to play a very brutal game. Of course they are going to get hurt eventually, but that is the nature of the business they chose. Basically their job is to entertain and get hurt and as much as we are all entertained by the players..what other worker can walk into their company or office and look at the profit margin of said company or office and say to the boss they you are making too much money and need to pay me more. Doesn't happen anywhere else, and I dont see why it should happen here

[csx]

..what other worker can walk into their company or office and look at the profit margin of said company or office and say to the boss they you are making too much money and need to pay me more. Doesn't happen anywhere else, and I dont see why it should happen here

pretty much happens anywhere unions are involved

[davos]

Posturing?

It's posturing to sound tough between trips to the negotiation table.

It's being an idiot to not come to the negotiation table AT ALL, and continue to talk poo with 35 days left on a contract.

...yeah a UVA Law Grad who went on to be a partner at a huge firm can't grasp the fundamentals of negotiating contracts.

The big deal right now is smith's projection in the public and it is down right terrible.

I'm not on his side, but people are trying to act like they can completely read the guy because of a sentence (or lack thereof) on that retarded twitter site or an article written by some guy on a sports site quoting him on occasion.

Yeah, he's been saying some odd and seemingly dumb things in these quotes, but that's all about the press and Smith getting his name out there. He's an attorney being an attorney.

I'm confident that something can be worked out and am not trying to get all worked up over it.

[coralreefer_1]

pretty much happens anywhere unions are involved

yes, and that is one of the main reasons unionized industries are failing and need to be bailed out. Sadly, I don't imagine a president coming to bail out the NFL the same way as was done for the auto industry.

[HSCBandit07]

But the NFL is too big to fail!

[HSCBandit07]

I don't know about these guys, but the first things I would take care of if I had a big paycheck like that and a dangerous, short lived job are: retirement, healthcare, life insurance. Not: Crib, Whip, flexible spending account at the local strip club. What these guys need in a new cba is a requirement for an accountant.