NFL Owners and Commissioner Goodell Secretly Meet

[PatsFans.com Article]

NFL Owners and Commissioner Goodell Secretly Meet
By: Derek Havens

Several reports, including ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, stated that select high profile team owners and NFL commissioner Robert Goodell met secretly in Chicago to discuss the lockout strategy. ...

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS STORY​

 

[Patjew]

Big secret.

 

[supafly]

Big secret.

Yeah, really. More posturing from both sides, with even more to come. This is absolutely 100% ridiculous. Hopefully, maybe they went over some sort of 'plan' today, as to what they're going to try to do to get back to playing football before it's too late, however I wouldn't bet on it.

 

[DarrylS]

At least they are doing something besides waiting for Courts to decide their fate... take control of the situation and resolve this mess.

 

[PatsFans.com Article]

NFL Owners and Commissioner Goodell Secretly Meet
By: Derek Havens

Several reports, including ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, stated that select high profile team owners and NFL commissioner Robert Goodell met secretly in Chicago to discuss the lockout strategy....

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS STORY​

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

more like a legion of doom meeting... the owners know what is coming.. Dmoroon Smith will fight till the end and rodger fooldell is a puppet for jones and kraft... i was optimistic that this would get settled by now, but if we are sitting here one month from now with the same nonsense.., there going to miss at least half the season and by then... what is the point...

 

[RhodyPatriot]

Yeah, really. More posturing from both sides, with even more to come. This is absolutely 100% ridiculous. Hopefully, maybe they went over some sort of 'plan' today, as to what they're going to try to do to get back to playing football before it's too late, however I wouldn't bet on it.

Couldn't agree more supafly.
Hope they realize they haven't even begun to feel the wrath of fans. If this continues into August people are going to start to get really really pissed off.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

And if we start to miss games, I wonder how much of that 9 billion dollar pie gets cut out (meaning how much of the nfl earnings is already guaranteed or expected based on fan turnout in stadiums ot how much effect can we the consumer have on that 9 billion).

i think that's part of what the owners are trying to brace themselves against (taking the extra 1 billion or negotiated portion thereof) is the operating expenses and the potential reduction in earnings.

While the players do have physical risk (and in some cases -- Ted johnson -- their post carerr life is a mess), their financial risk is minimal compared to what the owners have risked. As well as the litigation it seems to be more a game of chicken to see who blinks first. Why can't they meet without the lawyers?

 

[PatriotsInGA]

Well the court date is really the last chance in the near future to get a deal done, so this kind of meeting shows that they want to get a deal done soon.

 

[Rob0729]

Schefter and Mort: De Smith at owners "secret" meeting

According to both Schefter and Mortensen, DeMaurice Smith was in attendance at that not so secret meeting with the owners in the Chicago. Good to see that both sides are meeting without the press and without the courts forcing them. Could be a positive sign that a deal may be coming.

The owners have been putting out messages that July 4th is the cut off date to get a deal done and still have a free agency and a proper preseason. I guess that may be what they are working towards get a deal done.

It would be ironic because most of the month of July is typically the deadest period in the calendar year, but it now could be the most active of this offseason.

 

[NEGoldenAge]

Re: Schefter and Mort: De Smith at owners "secret" meeting

That is first good news there's been in this labor situation.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Re: Schefter and Mort: De Smith at owners "secret" meeting

Many pundits felt the best window for compromise would be between now and when the 8th hands down it's decision expected to be late June. Right now the leverage is leaning slightly towards ownership. That decision will tilt that leverage strongly one way or the other. Owners can't afford to lose it. The association would be in big leverage trouble unless they do. At that juncture even if Doty awards them mega damages in the TV case, those don't force ownerships hand because they don't need that money in the immediate future and a reversal by the 8th or an eventual settlement would likely make that case and those damages disappear.

 

[BlueThunder]

Re: Schefter and Mort: De Smith at owners "secret" meeting

J-e-t-s

just end the strike :d

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

Re: Schefter and Mort: De Smith at owners "secret" meeting

J-e-t-s

just end the strike :d

While i applaud your use of an anacronym, those letters arranged in that order have no place here...ever.

 

[Rob0729]

Re: Schefter and Mort: De Smith at owners "secret" meeting

Even better news is that the only lawyer present was De Smith. Everyone has said the lawyers were the ones screwing up this whole mess.

Not-so-secret meeting was lawyer-free (except for De) | ProFootballTalk

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Re: Schefter and Mort: De Smith at owners "secret" meeting

And there were players present, although that includes retiree Mawae and unemployed Vrabel but also Saturday who seems to have some rappore with the opposition - even had drinks with Goodell a while back...

 

[patriot lifer]

Re: Schefter and Mort: De Smith at owners "secret" meeting

Any news is good news at this point. They couldn't move farther apart, right?

 

[NEPats1]

Re: Schefter and Mort: De Smith at owners "secret" meeting

Even better news is that the only lawyer present was De Smith. Everyone has said the lawyers were the ones screwing up this whole mess.

Not-so-secret meeting was lawyer-free (except for De) | ProFootballTalk

This is great news and exactly what Mr Kraft said needed to happen back in February:

“In my opinion, we could get a deal done in the next week,” Kraft said. “If business people sat down on both sides, and we tried to get the lawyers in the background. . . . Get lawyers away from table. Lawyers are deal breakers, not deal makers.”

Robert Kraft’s solution: Get rid of the lawyers | ProFootballTalk

 

[ausbacker]

Re: Schefter and Mort: De Smith at owners "secret" meeting

July 4th... how symbolic. As for Kraft, don't you feel lucky to have him involved with the Patriots.

 

[goheels22002]

Re: Schefter and Mort: De Smith at owners "secret" meeting

The players ought to be irate that this sort of smoke-filled room wheeling and dealing is going on. The players should fire Demaurice Smith. He has no place at the table with the owners while the players get stiffed, locked-out and made to look like pawns in court. The players chose the lawsuit route and should stick to their guns

The owners should be made to bargain in good faith, open their books, and quit building mega-monuments to themselves like Cowboys Stadium and Patriot Place that make their investor bffs wealthy. The owners take on debt and then want the players to sacrifice pay or former players to sacrifice their health and retirement benefits so Jerry Jones can make his payment on the private elevator with the $100k painting in it that goes only to his luxury box. BS! The players shouldn't sacrifice because the owners put their families and stooges on the payrolls of the teams for no work and huge salaries.

The players fight for a CBO because it's their labor and short careers and broken bodies for the rest of their lives on the line. The owners are fatcats who are the culprits here. The players did not strike, the owners locked them out. Demaurice Smith is sleazier than his predecessor.