Owners Terminate CBA Early

[Romes]

http://buffalobills.com/news/news.jsp?news_id=6088

Sounds important. Can anyone explain the implications?

[alohabillsfan]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80868b78&template=without-video&confirm=true

Posted: 4 minutes ago
NFL owners opt out of CBA
National Football League


The NFL issued the following release this morning:

The current Collective Bargaining Agreement, initially negotiated in 1993, has been extended on several occasions, most recently in March 2006. The 2006 extension, which could have continued through the 2012 season, gave both the NFL and the NFLPA an option to shorten the deal by one or two years.

NFL clubs today voted unanimously to exercise that option and to continue negotiating a new agreement for the 2011 season and beyond that will work better for both the clubs and the players.

What does this mean to fans and games on the field?
Even without another agreement, NFL football will be played without threat of interruption for at least the next three seasons. The 2008 and 2009 seasons will be played with a salary cap. If there is no new agreement before the 2010 season, that season will be played without a salary cap under rules that also limit the free agency rights of the players. If not extended, the agreement would expire at the end of the 2010 league year.

We are resolved to do our best to achieve a fair agreement that will allow labor peace to continue through and beyond the 2011 season.

What are the issues?
A collective bargaining agreement has to work for both sides. If the agreement provides inadequate incentives to invest in the future, it will not work for management or labor. And, in the context of a professional sports league, if the agreement does not afford all clubs an opportunity to be competitive, the league can lose its appeal.

The NFL earns very substantial revenues. But the clubs are obligated by the CBA to spend substantially more than half their revenues – almost $4.5 billion this year alone -- on player costs. In addition, as we have explained to the union, the clubs must spend significant and growing amounts on stadium construction, operations and improvements to respond to the interests and demands of our fans. The current labor agreement does not adequately recognize the costs of generating the revenues of which the players receive the largest share; nor does the agreement recognize that those costs have increased substantially -- and at an ever increasing rate -- in recent years during a difficult economic climate in our country. As a result, under the terms of the current agreement, the clubs’ incentive to invest in the game is threatened.

There are substantial other elements of the deal that simply are not working. For example, as interpreted by the courts, the current CBA effectively prohibits the clubs from recouping bonuses paid to players who subsequently breach their player contacts or refuse to perform. That is simply irrational and unfair to both fans and players who honor their contracts. Also irrational is that in the current system some rookies are able to secure contracts that pay them more than top proven veterans.

Our objective is to fix these problems in a new CBA, one that will provide adequate incentives to grow the game, ensure the unparalleled competitive balance that has sustained our fans’ interest, and afford the players fair and increasing compensation and benefits.

[DraftBoy]

So what do we want to see in a new CBA??

[DMBcrew36]

Please explain how Ralph has lost it? Thanks.

[Dr. Lecter]

Please explain how Ralph has lost it? Thanks.

:sarcasm:

[alohabillsfan]

That was sarcasm based ojn Ralph being only 1 of 2 owners (I believe) that voted against the current CBA.

[clumping platelets]

"Deion Charges" :yikes:

[Dujek]

This should be interesting...

[Jan Reimers]

So what do we want to see in a new CBA??
Less than the current 59.5% of gross revenues going to the players, and a more generous revenue sharing agreement between the small and large market teams.

[alohabillsfan]

So what do we want to see in a new CBA??


Rookie cap! ( a real one not the slating process used now).

[justasportsfan]

haha! JOnes and co. got owned by a senile crusty old man and the clueless bengals owner.

[justasportsfan]

Kelsay, Dockery, Aaron ,walker were happy about the CBA. They all got overpaid because of it.

[TacklingDummy]

Kelsay, Dockery, Aaron ,walker were happy about the CBA. They all got overpaid because of it.

That's just on the Bills.

[ddaryl]

haha! JOnes and co. got owned by a senile crusty old man and the clueless bengals owner.


I don't think Jerry got owned at all.. He is still getting 50K licenses out of fans just for the right to buy tickets at $300

Jerry is still laughing all the way to the bank. the only thing that pisses me off abou tthat is he is maliciously ripping the game from the average american in the name of profits.

the game should be accessible by the majority of society and tax brackets not just the elite, or the ones to dumb to realize there is more intelligent things to do with your money at those prices.

[djjimkelly]

ill say this under the salary cap structure the bills have never actually been good.

we was solid in 1998 i do believe we would have won super bowl in 1999 if not for homerun throwback.

but the bills was a better team before the salary cap era.

forget that teams can spend whatever if no cap

players are not free agents for 6 years now if there is no cap this means less player movement this means when u hit on a DP in all likely hood u can keep him for many many years

[justasportsfan]

I don't think Jerry got owned at all.. He is still getting 50K licenses out of fans just for the right to buy tickets at $300

Jerry is still laughing all the way to the bank. the only thing that pisses me off abou tthat is he is maliciously ripping the game from the average american in the name of profits.

the game should be accessible by the majority of society and tax brackets not just the elite, or the ones to dumb to realize there is more intelligent things to do with your money at those prices.


If you're talking financials I agree, Ralphs got nothing on JJ but thats got more to do with the market. WNY is no competition for the Dallas market. We're poor.

I was speaking on regards to whether Ralph was clueless on voting against the CBA. He and the bengals owners were right on not acting impulssive.

[Bill Brasky]

Less than the current 59.5% of gross revenues going to the players, and a more generous revenue sharing agreement between the small and large market teams.
i agree, but i'd like to see them push for a rookie cap to help alleviate the dangerous spending habits this league has embraced. the rookie salaries are a big part of the problem as they give the vets bargaining power.

think about it. if you've been at X business for X number of years at 2 million, and some unproven grad fresh out of high school/college gets double the salary based on "potential" it would start a hissy fit of epic proportions.

i hate those analogies, but football is sadly a "business" now.

[Michael82]

Rookie cap! ( a real one not the slating process used now).
That's the most important piece IMO! The rookie contracts are past outrageous. It's about time they cap them off! :up:

[Bill Brasky]

dallas hands out 90+$ million in contracts on the same day to 2 (TWO) players, 38+ guaranteed. atlanta gives matt ryan - who hasn't played a down of nfl football - 72$ million, 34+$ guaranteed. and they want a new labor deal. ironic.

[Jan Reimers]

dallas hands out 90+$ million in contracts on the same day to 2 (TWO) players, 38+ guaranteed. atlanta gives matt ryan - who hasn't played a down of nfl football - 72$ million, 34+$ guaranteed. and they want a new labor deal. ironic.
In the words of the immortal Pogo, "We have met the enemy, and he is us."

[Bill Brasky]

ha! classic!

[LifetimeBillsFan]

....Jerry is still laughing all the way to the bank. the only thing that pisses me off abou tthat is he is maliciously ripping the game from the average american in the name of profits....

The same could be said of a lot of the folks in Jerry's financial position with regard to economic security instead of the game...but, of course, that's another subject and a lot of people don't want to hear about it.

[Bill Brasky]

The same could be said of a lot of the folks in Jerry's financial position with regard to economic security instead of the game...but, of course, that's another subject and a lot of people don't want to hear about it.

i'd thoroughly enjoy watching you school some of the 'tards in the spin zone!

[coastal]

2012 is the end of the Mayan calander.

I'm just saying.

[Bill Brasky]

this explains why the lease ends a year earlier. where's patti?