A source with knowledge of discussions regarding the fate of the Collective Bargaining Agreement tells us that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is trying to persuade NFL owners not to exercise their prerogative to opt out of the CBA two years early.
Per various media reports, the owners could pull the plug on the labor agreement at a one-day league meeting on Tuesday. Only nine of 32 votes will be necessary to do so.
As we hear it, Goodell wants the league and the union to negotiate an extension of the CBA without declaring an intention to kill the deal two years early, in order to avoid the potentially negative press arising from such a decision.
Still, the deadline for opting out two years early is November 8, 2008. It really doesn’t leave a lot of time to get the thing done. And it’s not the kind of deadline about which the union will care.
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May 17th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
gee, that’s real interesting….but can we PUH-LEESE get back to SPYGATE TALK….we need more articles on SPYGATE!!!
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May 17th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
I bet Gene Upshaw is on his knees right now praying that they opt out. The smoke about him being ousted is gonna settle down if the man has to get his hands dirty.
That, and I always felt like the previous CBA was just Tagliabue putting a band-aid on the situation so he could retire without drama. I didn’t think it would last.
With those two things in mind, i expect things to get messy well before November.
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May 17th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Isn’t this about the same thing as George Herbert Walker Bush trying to get the Saudis to increase oil production? Good luck, Rog.
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May 17th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Roger is the Owners Beeatch. They aren’t going to do a damn thing he tells them to, he is a puppet.
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May 17th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
hey rog,we need more cowbells.
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May 17th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Thanks to my hangover, I read this as “GOODELL TRYING TO GET OWNERS NOT TO PUT OUT”
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May 17th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Who loses their position first? Gene Upshaw or Roger Goodell?
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May 17th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
IMO…
Goodell is playing “good cop” to the owner’s “bad cop”. Whether they do it now or in November it is almost a forgone conclusion that the owners are going to kill the current CBA 2 years early (and it is almost impossible to have an extension negotiated between now and November). So, Goodell is posturing for future negotiations with the union where he can play good cop and tell the union look I’m trying to help you out, because the owners are hell bent on crushing you, etc.
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May 17th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Yes, he doesn’t need any more BAD PUBLICITY. He’s already screwed things up thus far.
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May 17th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Gene Upshaw may be on his knees, but for other obvious reasons! Either way this going to be a huge mess- can you say good-bye small market teams!?
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May 18th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
This is Roger seeing his legacy turning sour real quick! First the mishandling of Spygate, now a potential lock out. All this after such a promising start cracking down on the turds in the league. Now, in just his 3 season, he is facing a real crisis and this thing is going down quicker than a 2 bit whore with no teeth! Unfortunately, this will secure Gene Up-ya’lls-butt job since to replace him going into this would not seem too wise - or would it….mmmmmmm?
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