KFFL: Upshaw claims NFL offered percentage lower than past 12 years

[pats1]

http://www.kffl.com/hotw/nfl

NFL | Upshaw claims NFL offered percentage lower than past 12 years
Sun, 5 Mar 2006 18:06:37 -0800

ESPN.com reports NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw claims the NFL offered the players a percentage of revenues that was less than they received over the past 12 years. Upshaw said, "After suggesting we extend the waiver deadline from six o'clock to ten this evening, they gave us a new proposal which was worse than their prior offer. Quite naturally, we rejected that proposal and saw no need to continue meeting. Under our previous cap agreement, we got just less than 60 percent of all of the revenues. The NFL now wants us to cut that percentage to less than 57 percent. Given the enormous revenue growth the NFL is experiencing, I am not about to give back gains which we have made in the past." Upshaw continues to blame high revenue clubs and the revenue sharing issue as the main reason negotiations kept breaking down.

 

[shirtsleeve]

Upchuck and his hack ***** Keisser have some serious stones.

 

[BelichickFan]

The percentage may very well be lower if they're changing the formula of what counts. Gene, baby, would you prefer 60% of $1M or 50% of $2M ?

 

[fgssand]

Hey Gene Upshaw...SHUT UP. I am so sick of this guy...he sells out the players in favor of the agents that must be lining his pockets.

 

[PatsSteve1]

The percentage may very well be lower if they're changing the formula of what counts. Gene, baby, would you prefer 60% of $1M or 50% of $2M ?

* Do you actually know what the amounts were?

 

[flutie2phelan]

Upchuck and his hack ***** Keisser have some serious stones.

Genius Gene Upchuck ... i like it !

 

[BradyisGod]

* Do you actually know what the amounts were?

You may not know what the actual amounts were, but these are business people. They aren't going to take the offer of total proceeds down from what they give to the players now. Otherwise, NO ONE would be siding with the owners.

 

[shirtsleeve]

* Do you actually know what the amounts were?

According to Upchuck, the offer was 56.5% going foreward, but he says they had 59% already. The league says that there was gonna be $1.5 billion! of new money for the players over the 6 years going foreward, with $500mm payable in '06.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Some more detail and the other side from the AP via CBS Sportsline:

"But Harold Henderson, the NFL's executive vice president for labor relations, said the union rejected a proposal that would have added $577 million for players in 2006 compared to 2005 and $1.5 billion in the six years of the extension. "It's an unfortunate situation for the players, the fans and the league," Henderson said.

The cuts started almost immediately.

One reason these talks were more difficult is that the players asked for a change in the system.

Until now, they received their money primarily from television and ticket revenues. This time, they requested their share from all team revenues, including outside money generated by everything from parking fees to stadium naming rights.

That led to difficult negotiations, in part, because the teams themselves are having their own dispute over that money because of the disparity in outside income made by low-revenue teams like Buffalo and Indianapolis and high-revenue teams like Dallas, Washington, New England and Philadelphia. Union leaders had suggested that it would be hard to reach agreement on a labor contract until the owners settled their own differences.

Upshaw said he still thinks revenue sharing is the key, although Henderson said it was never discussed. Upshaw also said the players would do as well or better sticking with the current agreement.

"Under our previous cap agreement, we got just less than 60 percent of all of the revenues. The NFL now wants us to cut that percentage to less than 57 percent. Given the enormous revenue growth the NFL is experiencing, I am not about to give back gains which we have made in the past. It is clear to me that we will do much better under our current CBA in 2006 and particularly in 2007, the uncapped year," Upshaw said."

I'm beginning to think Gene is as dense as the majority of players he supposedly represents. This year alone his players lose $320-480M dollars in potential income, not to mention some lose their jobs or will play for a whole lot less than they were in line to make had teams not been forced to cut them just to get under the cap. Next year FA opportunities will be cut in half and in anticipation of a lockout many teams will forego FA all together as they prepare to hunker down for a work stoppage. An entire draft class in 2008 will be on their own. By the time they get it figured out again in 2009 Ty Laws family could be starving.

Eisen is on live on NFL All Access and he says there is nothing new to report. Schefter says again these guys can't even agree as to what they disagree about. Sounds like we have shifted from the beginning of the end to the end.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Upshaw is being disingenuous - either that or he'd score less than Vince Young on the Wonderlic.

The NFL is indeed offering a smaller percentage than previous CBA's - of a much bigger pie now that they are considering Total Football Revenue.

If that's the best Upshaw can do to spin public opinion for the players then he needs to step down and let someone else do his job.

 

[BelichickFan]

* Do you actually know what the amounts were?

No, but there's been constant talk about how the pie was getting bigger. I'm not saying it doubled, that was just to make my point. But clearly a lower percentage of a bigger pie can still be an increase.

 

[PatsChamps363839]

According to Upchuck, the offer was 56.5% going foreward, but he says they had 59% already. The league says that there was gonna be $1.5 billion! of new money for the players over the 6 years going foreward, with $500mm payable in '06.

If he indeed had a deal at 59 percent then he should be ashamed of himself for not taking it. Is Gene Upshaw the the NFL version of Gary Betteman?

 

[PromisedLand]

Upshaw is being disingenuous - either that or he'd score less than Vince Young on the Wonderlic.

The NFL is indeed offering a smaller percentage than previous CBA's - of a much bigger pie now that they are considering Total Football Revenue.

If that's the best Upshaw can do to spin public opinion for the players then he needs to step down and let someone else do his job.

My sentiments exactly. Disingenious is exactly the word which came to my mind when I saw the Upshaw interview. For god's sake, how stupid is he? Or (more likely) how stupid does he think we are? He really expects to get the same percentage of a much bigger pot? Yeesh.

 

[arrellbee]

Making a misleading statement like Upshaw made is digusting and despicable. That is, as has been posted, if he's smart enough to understand that what he is saying is nonsense - he IS smarter than that ISN'T he ?? ?? ?? ??

What a choice - being despicable or braindead dumb.

 

[flutie2phelan]

....
I'm beginning to think Gene is as dense as the majority of players he supposedly represents. This year alone his players lose $320-480M dollars in potential income, not to mention some lose their jobs or will play for a whole lot less than they were in line to make had teams not been forced to cut them just to get under the cap. Next year FA opportunities will be cut in half and in anticipation of a lockout many teams will forego FA all together as they prepare to hunker down for a work stoppage. An entire draft class in 2008 will be on their own. By the time they get it figured out again in 2009 Ty Laws family could be starving.

JoeSixPat:
Upshaw is being disingenuous - either that or he'd score less than Vince Young on the Wonderlic.

The NFL is indeed offering a smaller percentage than previous CBA's - of a much bigger pie now that they are considering Total Football Revenue.

If that's the best Upshaw can do to spin public opinion for the players then he needs to step down and let someone else do his job.

Mo and Joe tell the truth.

It's clearly past time for someone who loves a player ... anyone, wife, girlfriend, parent ... to shake the loved one hard and say ... "This guy Upshaw is screwin you over. We may NEVER recover from this? Can't you think of ANYTHING to do ... to see that from now on the people s'posed to represent you ... REPRESENT YOU?!"

 

[hwc]

Don't look to the players for help. Have you noticed? Not one single player or player rep or player meeting has been mentiioned during this whole ridiculous negotiation. None.

Usually, the local news is full of Pats' player reps reporting back to his teammates. Not this time. As long as they get to ride in private jet during free agency, the players don't care. So nobody bothers to even ask them. It's sick.

The League needs to quit screwin' around and pull the trigger on a free agency season without private jets. It's the only thing that will get the players' attention. Half of 'em probably can't even read the scrolling news ticker across the bottom of the screen on ESPN.

 

[Patriotic Fervor]

If he indeed had a deal at 59 percent then he should be ashamed of himself for not taking it. Is Gene Upshaw the the NFL version of Gary Betteman?

Beginning to look that way, isn't it?

 

[flutie2phelan]

Don't look to the players for help. Have you noticed? .... Half of 'em probably can't even read the scrolling news ticker across the bottom of the screen on ESPN.

Ooooh.
I hope that's not true.

But it looks like it, doesn't it?

Like many others, i root for the uniform. But i wish each player well. It's his best shot in life. Bob Kraft has tried hard to keep the degenerates out of our locker room ... so i wish each of our guys to do well, personally.

But WAKE UP, fellas. It is YOUR futures Gene-ius is abbreviating.

 

[workhorse]

Someone just posted on the Colts' board they hammered something out...

Per Mort on ESPN Radio just now:

There is an agreement in principle to give the players 59.5% of total football revenues. It was agreed upon around 11pm tonight. The extention is to give the owners time to radify the agreement at their Tuesday meeting. That is expected to be an ugly battle as the highs and the lows duke it out.


link

edit: link is to msg board, not to Mort.

 

[flutie2phelan]

As i see it ... Tagliabue accepts the rotten offer ... takes it upon himself to shove it down the owners' throats ... as his personal homage to Pete Rozelle.

Gene-ius Upchuck prevails, after all.

Who'd a thunk?