Miguel

http://www.jaguars.com/story/5071.asp

About the 10th answer down.

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flutie2phelan

Q: ... there's a new CBA. Could you please explain the ramifications of it? It's pretty complicated, isn't it?
Vic Ketchman: No, it's really very simple. Gene Upshaw said “stick 'em up” and
as the owners stood with their hands in the air, the players emptied their pockets.
(edited excerpt)


That's about how i see it too.
But 'taint my money.

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mikey

I have always thought the last CBA was a payback for the previous CBA, which was heavily in favor of the owners.

Before the last CBA, I thought NFL players got the worst bargaining agreements of all the professional sports.

I can just imagine Tagliabue telling Upshaw back in 1992 to ease up on the negotiation to help the league stabilize their finances and help promote the league expansion. In return, Tagliabue promised Upshaw that he will repay the favor once the money starts coming in. And that is exactly what happened.

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arrellbee

I think you referenced Vic's mailbag before. I now have it as a must read each day.

You really have to wonder if Tagliabue's crew was paying attention to all of the clauses - surely they MUST have been ? Does it turn out bottom line that Upshaw was really quite happy to go to an uncapped structure and it was a take it or leave offer with all of the player friendly provisions as well as a significantly higher chunk of the pie ? Sure looks like it.

I think the thing that bugs me the most is the emasculation of the provisions giving the teams some financial leverage over rotten player behavior. That might have the most disgusting effect on the tenor of the game for the fans.

If this package turns out to be bad enough for the owners/teams, Tagliabue's legacy could become this last extension as opposed to all of the other fantastic work he did.