NFL CBA Negotiations: Figuring Out Who Has Done What – Or Not

The letters from the NFL and the NFLPA to the fans explaining what happened in the CBA negotiations are nice gestures and I’m sure they have nothing to do with public relations (ouch… that tooth is sharp!). Trying to figure out where the disconnect between the two parties occurred based on these letters is close to impossible, however. All I can say is that either they are each speaking entirely different languages, or somebody is not telling the truth.
In the NFL letter (one version is posted on Redskins.com), they sound like a very reasonable, if not victimized group. The NFLPA, who dismantled their official website during this situation, is releasing their information through nfllockout.com, and they sound wounded as well.
Paragraph by paragraph, I went through the two letters, trying to compare the issues they discuss. Unfortunately, it was like comparing artichokes to bananas or squash to jalapeno peppers. It would have been nice if each issue had been addressed point-by-point for the reader.
Here is some of what they wrote:
NFL: “The union was offered financial disclosure of audited league and club profitability information that is not even shared with the NFL clubs”
NFLPA: “The NFL’s offer on March 7 to give the NFLPA a single sheet of numbers was NOT financial disclosure. The players’ accountants and bankers advised that the “offered” information was meaningless: only two numbers for each year. The NFL demanded a multi-billion dollar give back and refused to provide any legitimate financial information to justify it.”
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NFL: “It included an offer to narrow the player compensation gap that existed in the negotiations by splitting the difference…” “ …the clubs offered a deal that would have had no adverse financial impact upon veteran players in the early years and would meet the players’ financial demands in the latter years.”
NFLPA: “…NFL demanded 100% of all revenues which went above unrealistically low projections for the first four years. The NFL demanded a multi-billion dollar giveback…” “…The NFL offered no proposal at all for long-term share of revenues “
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NFL: “…guarantee[d] reallocation of savings from first-round rookies to veterans and retirees without negatively affecting compensation for rounds 2-7; ensure no compensation reduction for veterans…”
NFLPA: “The NFL wanted to turn the clock back on player compensation by four years, moving them back to where they were in 2007.”
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NFL: “…implement new year-round health and safety rules…”
NFLPA: “The NFL refused to meet the players on significant changes to in-season, off-season or pre-season health and safety rules.”
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NFL: “…retain the current 16-4 season format for at least two years with any subsequent changes subject to the approval of the league and union…”
NFLPA: “The NFL kept on the table its hypocritical demand for an 18-game season, despite its public claims to be working toward improving the health and safety of players.”
I was under the impression that some of these things had been worked out; like the safety issues, the decision to stay with a 16-4 season format and a rookie wage scale. Obviously I was wrong.
The biggest problem for John Q. Public in all of this is that we are not being given all of the information available. The letter to the fans from the NFL certainly will only tell their side of the story. And, as much as I am in the NFLPA’s corner, I am sure there is information they are not releasing either, not necessarily because they are pulling a con but more because it is in their best interest not to do so at this point. This is likely the case with both parties. But then why bother to pacify the public with letters that don’t mean much?
The two documents obviously summarized, simplified, abridged, condensed, reduced and compressed (or any other term that could be used) the issues and we, the public, are not getting the whole story.
You know, at this point, that’s just as well. We are likely to be in this position for a while; waiting while the court system gears up for litigation on anti-trust issues between the players and the owners, while players figure out how to deal with the lockout and their attorneys get moving on that whole issue. Since we, the fans, will likely never get all of the facts regarding the negotiations – or know exactly why they failed – we might has well do something else for a while rather than wrack our brains trying to make sense of it all.
It’s a nice day today. I just might go fishing.
Hail.