De Smith: Lockout or strike in 2021 is “almost a virtual certainty”

[Baker Boy 1,466]

Four seasons remain under the current labor deal, but the drums of labor war already are beating.

 

I think that the likelihood of either a strike or a lockout in 2021 is almost a virtual certainty, NFL Players Association DeMaurice Smith recently told Albert Breer in a video posted at SI.com.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/08/17/de-smith-lockout-or-strike-in-2021-is-almost-a-virtual-certainty/

[12th Man 884]

De Smith was fleeced. The players need to get rid of him.

[Reality 2,710]

I can't believe those dipsh!ts still employ Smith.

 

Dude got worked last time.

[kilroy69 990]

I have said this since the tom brady ordeal. The commissioner of football should enjoy his powers for the next 4 years. They will look nothing like what he has now when the new CBA is said and done. He is going to lose his power to suspend at his leisure of that I am 100% certain. Weather its a board of commissioners he has to share with or its a limiting of his powers in another way. Profit sharing will be different and guaranteed contracts will be be put in place.

[Cruzer 1,992]

The current management has done very little to protect the Players from getting bent over like sheep. What little wins they think they amassed, the owners fisted them right back 10-fold... I don't see the Players actually uniting to strike, but could totally see the Owners locking them out.

 

3 key points likely to play a critical role:

 

* Weed = the players will push to get this off the Controlled Substance list... This will be a BIG key issue for them.

 

* Schedule expansion, 18 game seasons = the owners want this and they will fight to make it happen.. A compromise could be in the making, the Players giving in to 18 games in exchange for legalizing Weed.

 

* Unilateral Authority = the Players (and owners) have to strip the Commissioner( of at least some) of his power. Especially when it comes to rulings and appeals. Look for this to be a fight.

[kilroy69 990]

 

 

* Unilateral Authority = the Players (and owners) have to strip the Commissioner of at least some of his power. Especially when it comes to rulings and appeals. Look for this to be a fight.

The NFL can fight this all they want. If they do not agree to this there will be no NFL season.

[TimmySmith 2,782]

* Unilateral Authority = the Players (and owners) have to strip the Commissioner( of at least some) of his power. Especially when it comes to rulings and appeals. Look for this to be a fight.

I disagree. I'll bet the NFL will gladly hand over rulings and appeals to the players and wash their hands of the whole business. This is provided that the NFLPA has a proposal that is the least bit palatable. The Commish has way more important things to do than deal with individual player reprimands on a daily basis. The NFL has always look at this as protecting their brand, but in the end the fans don't care so the sponsors won't either.

[Cdub100 3,366]

I could see an 18 game schedule and the reduction to 1 preaseson game.

 

With 18 games I could see 2 maybe even 3 bye weeks

 

In 4 years all of the US could be weed legal so I really don't see this being an issue.

 

Medical and players health will be huge

[RaiderHaters Revenge 3,563]

California was supposed to be flooded by ice caps melting in 2013 too

 

its a little early to get worried

[posty 2,295]

That would be awesome if there was a strike in the NFL...

[TD Ryan2 314]

 

* Unilateral Authority = the Players (and owners) have to strip the Commissioner( of at least some) of his power. Especially when it comes to rulings and appeals. Look for this to be a fight.

 

I posted this back during deflategate - that whole incident set legal precedent for Roger's "Unilateral Authority"... that's what the whole fuss was really about... that's why it went to such high levels of court/government... it was about a labor battle and Roger/NFL won HUGE there

 

 

 

The Players Union now has to live with "Article 46" and the current ruling simply states that the Commissioner's Power can not be challenged - he can judge and punish as he sees fit for whatever he chooses. Roger just invented another way to "negotiate" billions of dollars away from the laborers (i.e. players) - Article 46 will be a huge point of contention in the next CBA ('19? '20?) and the NFL is gonna' leverage it heavily.

 

 

[Hardcore troubadour 12,552]

Smith went to the same negotiating seminar as Obama.

[supermike80 1,280]

2021?

Who the fock cares.

Get back to me in 2020

[frank 2,143]

I forgot about De.

[Vikings4ever 496]

I'm doubtful.

 

Between the knuckleheads who make a lot of money but can't save a dime, and the scrubs whose career expectancy is nil, there's just too many players who can't afford to miss game checks to strike so that guys like Odell Beckham and Le'Veon Bell can make 15 million a year instead of 12.

[Voltaire 4,550]

2021?

Who the fock cares.

Get back to me in 2020

Exactly. That dude DeMaurice Smith can seemingly nurse a grudge forever.

[MDC 5,874]

The NFL has jumped the shark and it will be sinking back to the other four major sports soon.

[Voltaire 4,550]

The NFL has jumped the shark and it will be sinking back to the other four major sports soon.

this concussion stuff was enough of a headache.... (ahem) ... but this kneeling controversy is also going to stick around and wreck damage in 2017.

[titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745]

this concussion stuff was enough of a headache.... (ahem) ... but this kneeling controversy is also going to stick around and wreck damage in 2017.

I'm amazed goodell hasn't crushed this yet. I would have sent letters to each locker room that the consequences would be severe after the first incident.

 

I guess he thought that would make it more of a controversy. And that it would go away on its own. Clearly, he was wrong.

[MDC 5,874]

this concussion stuff was enough of a headache.... (ahem) ... but this kneeling controversy is also going to stick around and wreck damage in 2017.

What's really going to kill the league is the concussion stuff. Players today are too big and fast to play the game safely. The NFL will keep changing the rules to protect the players but the rule changes are making the sport worse and it's blatant hypocrisy. If the NFL is worried about player safety why are they asking 2 teams to play on 3 days rest every week?

 

Every other major sport has a growing international pipeline of talent. The NFL only has the US and it's going to shrink as kids pursue other safer sports.

 

The league is also overexposed and watered down the product, what with fantasy football and games on 3-4 days per week all year, double MNF, games in London etc. They're just advertising how bad the product has become.

 

I have a hard time believing people don't watch because of players kneeling but apparently there are a lot of neckbeards out there who care about this sort of thing.

[Hardcore troubadour 12,552]

The concussion issue will be easily solved when the time is right. Players pump themselves up with steroids to be able to play. Think they won't sign a waiver? Lol. Is someone going to tell them they cant play and make millions because they might get hurt? Last I checked cigarettes and boxing are still legal in this country. Calm down ya Mary's.

[MDC 5,874]

The concussion issue will be easily solved when the time is right. Players pump themselves up with steroids to be able to play. Think they won't sign a waiver? Lol. Is someone going to tell them they cant play and make millions because they might get hurt? Last I checked cigarettes and boxing are still legal in this country. Calm down ya Mary's.

Great point, boxing and smoking are getting more popular all the time.

[titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745]

The concussion issue will be easily solved when the time is right. Players pump themselves up with steroids to be able to play. Think they won't sign a waiver? Lol. Is someone going to tell them they cant play and make millions because they might get hurt? Last I checked cigarettes and boxing are still legal in this country. Calm down ya Mary's.

But when pee wee football and high school football die off because of the risks, where are all those NFL players gonna come from?

[Voltaire 4,550]

I have a hard time believing people don't watch because of players kneeling but apparently there are a lot of neckbeards out there who care about this sort of thing.

It happens to me.

 

Both Michigan and Michigan State football teams had players disrespecting the flag last year in a show of solidarity with Kaepernick, enough players to embarrass themselves in national news. and I got disgusted and tuned the teams out. Last year was the first season in all my time overseas that I stopped caring about them.

 

I'm not going to switch allegiance to another team. I've been a fan of both UM & MSU all my life. I'll either wait out the storm or just tune them out as I do the rest of college football.

 

I can't root for them when they've got more players than other teams making asses of themselves to such an extent they get featured in the national news. Fock that and fock them.

[Brad GLuckman 518]

I'm amazed goodell hasn't crushed this yet. I would have sent letters to each locker room that the consequences would be severe after the first incident.

 

I guess he thought that would make it more of a controversy. And that it would go away on its own. Clearly, he was wrong.

Goodell was screwed either way. If he does that, he alienates blacks and libs.

 

Best thing to do is just hope Kaep never comes back. I don't think people will keep paying attention to it even with all these other guys following suit. All the rednecks saying they are going to protest won't follow through.

[Hardcore troubadour 12,552]

But when pee wee football and high school football die off because of the risks, where are all those NFL players gonna come from?

Where they come from now. Texas, Florida the rest of the south. California might have an issue. Lol.

[wiffleball 4,629]

Kneeling won't be an issue by then. It's barely an issue now. You can always count on attention whores changing tactics when they stop getting attention. Kap has long ago announced that he doesn't plan to kneel this year.

 

Smith has to go. he's the kind of dim-wit that would give away a billion dollars while arguing for players rights to be able to wear different colored cleats.

[supermike80 1,280]

It happens to me.

 

Both Michigan and Michigan State football teams had players disrespecting the flag last year in a show of solidarity with Kaepernick, enough players to embarrass themselves in national news. and I got disgusted and tuned the teams out. Last year was the first season in all my time overseas that I stopped caring about them.

 

I'm not going to switch allegiance to another team. I've been a fan of both UM & MSU all my life. I'll either wait out the storm or just tune them out as I do the rest of college football.

 

I can't root for them when they've got more players than other teams making asses of themselves to such an extent they get featured in the national news. Fock that and fock them.

The simple fact you are claiming to be a Michigan and MSU fan tells me you made this whole story up ya liar.

You like Ohio State too? Hoping Nick saban succeeds?

[Voltaire 4,550]

The simple fact you are claiming to be a Michigan and MSU fan tells me you made this whole story up ya liar.

You like Ohio State too? Hoping Nick saban succeeds?

 

None of my family went to college and I went to Wayne State so I never had to swear off one of the two.

 

I do root for Ohio State vs other conferences because the SEC, Pac10 and all others (besides MAC) can suck my colon and it helps the SoS ranking for other Big Ten schools. "Like" though isn't a word I would ever use for them. As for Nick Saban piss on him, I still remember how that went down when he left MSU. The man can't leave a job without burning bridges on his way out the door. MSU isn't the only place he did this either. Gotta say he's a great coach though.

[SUXBNME 1,318]

I forgot about De.

Who you think taught you to smoke trees?

[wiffleball 4,629]

It's been a while since I posted this, but seems appropriate to remind folks;

 

Back before there even WAS pro football, College ball was in its heyday.

But then, there started to be a crapload (dozens) of actual DEATHS ON the field.

Everyone was predicting the end.

Hell, some of the 'big' programs (i.e. Ivy League mostly) switched to Rugby even.

The news paper articles and opinion pieces back then were almost identical to what you can find today.

 

The deaths and paralysis were all a result of the '3 yards and a cloud of dust' style of play.

 

You know what happened? Notre Dame led the charge in highlighting the passing game more.

Went pretty much unnoticed for a while - since they were SO far away in Indiana.

And any 'decent' 'influential' press was in New York and Boston.

 

People were pissed, laughed at them, hated them, etc. - Swore this new style wouldn't work - and/or would kill the game.

Sound Familiar???

 

So, they went to West Point.

And Focking DESTROYED Army.

In front of all the powerful print media.

 

And the rest? As they say, is history.

Not only did college ball go on to thrive,

from it spawned a SIX BILLION dollar industry in the pros.

 

Reports of the NFL's demise are greatly exaggerated.

 

The more you know history, the less the present surprises you.

[Baker Boy 1,466]

 

Reports of the NFL's demise are greatly exaggerated.

 

 

ESPN Football Analyst Walks Away, Disturbed by Brain Trauma on Field

 

But Cunningham, 48, resigned from one of the top jobs in sports broadcasting because of his growing discomfort with the damage being inflicted on the players he was watching each week. The hits kept coming, right in front of him, until Cunningham said he could not, in good conscience, continue his supporting role in football’s multibillion-dollar apparatus.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/sports/espn-ed-cunningham-football-concussions.html

[wiffleball 4,629]

Never even heard of the guy but I did see the story earlier. I'm pretty sure if the sport can afford to lose much bigger names this guy will be a blip on the radar screen.

 

I posted about this before. And it was on PBS again last night. The best scientists say the same thing as I've been saying. Look we've only looked at 146 brains. The biggest question is why so many players don't get CTE and others do. We still haven't proved causation either proximate or immediate.

 

Like I said, there's lots of science left to be done. And then there's a whole bunch of knee-jerk reactionaries like this guy.

 

As both an absolute and as a percentage, dentist for example have a higher incidence of suicide. It's inconvenient little fact like that that still need to be sorted out.

[DankNuggs 305]

I disagree. I'll bet the NFL will gladly hand over rulings and appeals to the players and wash their hands of the whole business. This is provided that the NFLPA has a proposal that is the least bit palatable. The Commish has way more important things to do than deal with individual player reprimands on a daily basis. The NFL has always look at this as protecting their brand, but in the end the fans don't care so the sponsors won't either.

Disagree, NFL has to be able to control protecting the brand.

[DankNuggs 305]

As both an absolute and as a percentage, dentist for example have a higher incidence of suicide. It's inconvenient little fact like that that still need to be sorted out.

Dentists are failed doctors. Swallow enough poop breath and maybe it drives them over the edge

[titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745]

Disagree, NFL has to be able to control protecting the brand.

They should establish some sort of tribunal to do these things.

 

There are a number of ways to do it.

 

Choose an independent arbitration agency would be the simplest way.

 

Or a three man panel each season. The commish (or his delegate) a players rep, and maybe an arbitrator or media type to chair meetings. Either go with a simple 2-1 vote, or require unanimous rulings.

 

Would look much better, be much more fair, and cost them nothing.

[GobbleDog 815]

Hippies vs Wall Street

[Hardcore troubadour 12,552]

They should establish some sort of tribunal to do these things.

 

There are a number of ways to do it.

 

Choose an independent arbitration agency would be the simplest way.

 

Or a three man panel each season. The commish (or his delegate) a players rep, and maybe an arbitrator or media type to chair meetings. Either go with a simple 2-1 vote, or require unanimous rulings.

 

Would look much better, be much more fair, and cost them nothing.

Nope. Billionaires are not handing control of their product to outsiders. And I don't blame them.

[titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745]

Nope. Billionaires are not handing control of their product to outsiders. And I don't blame them.

They need to establish some sort of coherent process though. This ad hoc scattershot approach ain't working.

 

At least let there be an appeal from goodell to a panel of owners or something. Gussy it up a little.

[Hardcore troubadour 12,552]

They need to establish some sort of coherent process though. This ad hoc scattershot approach ain't working.

 

At least let there be an appeal from goodell to a panel of owners or something. Gussy it up a little.

There are many jobs where the employee is subject to a disciplinary process that merely relies on the preponderance of evidence, and not beyond reasonable doubt as we find in our justice system. The military for one, many civil service jobs. The players are under no obligation to take employment in a league owned by others. And it's not like the league is looking to bring these guys up on charges, except for drug testing. The league would love to not have to take any action.