NFL threatens to suspend 4 players from Al Jazeera report indefinitely if they don't interview

[XLIX]

Is it because there isn't demand or are the barriers to entry just too high?

Excellent question. IMHO, there just isn't any demand but yes, it certainly would not be possible for a competing football league to spring into existence with all the needed TV contracts, stadiums, etc.

In the case of the NFL if it were not for the anti trust exemption the teams would not be allowed to collude and negotiate the CBA as a single employer. It would be like ford, gm and Chrysler getting together and negotiating a labor agreement with the labor union. We should all be grateful that that is not allowed in this country any longer

Thank you for clarifying, though I have to admit I am not sure. The Big-3 auto makers do engage in joint negotiations with the UAW. They don't all have the exact same CBA like the NFL, but they do negotiate together in a limited extent.

 

[XLIX]

So as long as the NFL can operate as a legal monopoly due to the exemption the players will keep getting screwed.

Probably, and though I hate to admit it, I think they (as a group) deserve some share of them blame.

I don't think this is an issue they feel all that strongly about. I think if ownership said to them "You have 2 choices: We will eliminate Article 46, or we will bump your share of revenues 2%" I honestly think the majority of players would vote for the 2%. Their negotiating strategies tend to focus on the money and things like less offseason workouts. The owners hate to give away any money, but owners lose nothing by reducing the number of practices. Teams are less prepared, but it impacts all teams equally so it doesn't disadvantage any single team.

 

[BradyFTW!]

There's nothing in the law which enables the NFL to operate as a monopoly, it is simply the fact that there isn't any significant demand in the United States for professional football beyond the NFL. The USFL failed, the UFL failed, the NFL-sponsored WLAF (which became NFL Europe) failed, arena football survives (barely) but is just a niche sport that doesn't compete with the NFL.

The problem is that the NFLPA is the weakest of all sports unions (possibly due to the fact that they have the shortest careers) so a prolonged strike in 2020 would hurt many of them. I wish there was an easy solution because I really want the players to stick it to the owners. But that's easy for me to say as I have no skin in the game.

If the players started preparing for 2020 now, they could put themselves in a great position to weather an extended work stoppage in 2020. But that would require some basic level of discipline and foresight, so I'm not counting on it.

 

[BradyFTW!]

an anti-trust exemption for sports leagues makes sense. otherwise, you wouldn't be able to have a salary cap or a draft.

If you believe that sports leagues should have salary caps and drafts, sure. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of rewarding incompetence. I can accept salary caps as a competitive necessity, but drafts--particularly those that reward bad teams in the name of parity--don't sit well with me and IMO should be abolished.

The Philadelphia 76ers' strategy of the past 5 years (and 2011 Colts) is about the most damning indictment of drafts that I've ever seen. When teams are going out of their way to suck as badly as possible because league rules actively reward it, the system is broken. Even the most generous possible reading basically states "good job ruining all your previous prospects, as a reward hre's the cream of the crop for this year so you can ruin them too!" Reverse-of-record drafts make the league worse by putting the best talent in the hands of the teams that have proven inept at developing talent.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Haha. I for one, am very glad my employer is not allowed to have an agreement with all of the other employers in my field that keeps my salary below market. You should be too!

Depending on the field you work in, they may privately have one that you don't know about.

Apple, Google agree to settle lawsuit alleging hiring conspiracy

 

[Joker]

Depending on the field you work in, they may privately have one that you don't know about.

Apple, Google agree to settle lawsuit alleging hiring conspiracy

 

[QuantumMechanic]

You see, most employees working for an employer under these conditions would simply quit and seek employment from an employer that treats its employees better. And I'm not even talking about article 46, the free agency rules would be illegal in any other industry too.

If your profession is Football you don't have the right to seek employment from an other employer within your profession because the league was awarded an exemption which allows it to be recognized as the employer not the teams.

That anti-trust exemption is a function of there being a CBA. It's nothing specific to the NFL or even to sports. When two sides in any profession agree in a CBA to practices that would normally be anti-trust (like there being a draft, a salary cap, restrictions on free agency, etc.), those practices get an anti-trust exemption. If players don't like being subject to those things, don't put them in the next CBA.

The only specific anti-trust exemption the NFL has (and it's the NFL and the other pro sports) is the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 (I might have the year wrong) which allows teams in a league to collude with each other when negotiating a TV contract.

 

[Mack Herron]

 

[signbabybrady]

I want the Pats to trade for Harrison because **** the powers that be.

 

[mihap]

No one is going to be suspended. In the end they all will show up and the Nfl will clear them like nothing ever happen.
Cooperate and you will be fine, if you are Patriot nothing can help you.
League need some villans for ratings and higher publicity. That bring money

 

[Mack Herron]

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

NFLPA President Eric Winston unloads on Goodell:

NFLPA president: Union is advising Matthews, Harrison, Peppers, Neal as to their options

“It’s definitely peak silliness and peak unprofessionalism,” Winston said. “It is what it is and unfortunately we’ve gone from this place where NFL [business] used to be conducted in a super-professional way by men that have played this game for a long time and a front office that has run this great game for a long time to now it’s almost seemingly like these scripts that are pulled from WWE Smackdown or something like that. It’s hard to understand why this is being allowed to continue on by some ownership that has some control but it is and we’re going to keep fighting. We’re going to keep advising our players in an open and honest way exactly about what their rights are and about what their options are and we’ll continue to go down this road and we’ll continue to fight for our players.”

BTW, I love the "It is what it is" line, a little homage to BB

 

[InRodWeRust]

I think for the first time ever...I'm actually rooting for a Steeler. I need a shower.

I wish James Harrison would just admit to using steroids and take the suspension and move on. He's obviously hiding something by being uncooperative.

 

[Dr Pain]

No one is going to be suspended. In the end they all will show up and the Nfl will clear them like nothing ever happen.
Cooperate and you will be fine, if you are Patriot nothing can help you.
League need some villans for ratings and higher publicity. That bring money

My guess is this is it. They don't care beyond getting these 4 to kiss Roger's boot by showing up.

 

[Mack Herron]

Are we there yet? No. But getting closer.

 

[BradyFTW!]

NFLPA President Eric Winston unloads on Goodell:

NFLPA president: Union is advising Matthews, Harrison, Peppers, Neal as to their options

“It’s definitely peak silliness and peak unprofessionalism,” Winston said. “It is what it is and unfortunately we’ve gone from this place where NFL [business] used to be conducted in a super-professional way by men that have played this game for a long time and a front office that has run this great game for a long time to now it’s almost seemingly like these scripts that are pulled from WWE Smackdown or something like that. It’s hard to understand why this is being allowed to continue on by some ownership that has some control but it is and we’re going to keep fighting. We’re going to keep advising our players in an open and honest way exactly about what their rights are and about what their options are and we’ll continue to go down this road and we’ll continue to fight for our players.”

BTW, I love the "It is what it is" line, a little homage to BB

He's right - at this point, Goodell is basically doing the Vince McMahon gimmick better than Vince McMahon ever did.

 

[libra957]

Ahhh the hypocrisy. It's funny because I checked out a Steelers forum that was hell-bent on washing Goodell's balls during deflategate, now that one of their player is involved, they're changing their tune. Goodell is only evil if he's screwing your team....and not the patriots.

 

[Froob]

Just fess up already cheater and take your arbitrary draconic punishment.

 

[Froob]

Can someone make an edit of the James Harrison SB INT touchdown with an asterick in his hands instead of a football?

 

[borisman]

Ahhh the hypocrisy. It's funny because I checked out a Steelers forum that was hell-bent on washing Goodell's balls during deflategate, now that one of their player is involved, they're changing their tune. Goodell is only evil if he's screwing your team....and not the patriots.

Link please, next time. Always enjoy (sometimes) reading other teams' fan forums when it comes to such matters.

I still doubt anything happens. Harrison went a little far with the pedophile comment but what he says in regards to "such and such said this about you" and it could lead to questioning. Some evidence please before someone gets persecuted. I could care less though. I hope they do get suspended. There was no actual evidence TB12 did anything so Tit for Tat.