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

[AtomicDawg]

This is important. Peyton didn't feel he needed it.

 

[Jackson 2]

Fair enough, I don't agree there in that I think San Diego is uniquely bad about trying to nickel and dime its draft picks and cut corners in ways that endanger players and **** with their careers (how many careers did they shorten/end by negligently allowing David Chao to continue being the team physician?). I doubt the Mannings would have resorted to such drastic measures otherwise, but you could very well be right.

FWIW, living in SoCal I'm surrounded by Chargers fans, and the general consensus is that they think ownership and FO are a bunch of **** ups, Bosa is right to hold out, and increasingly that all the talent that's fled was right to do so. The Spanos family has done a remarkably thorough job of alienating its fanbase. At the moment I'd say it's about as bad as the McCourt Dodgers era, but still has a ways to go before it can approach the Donald Sterling Clippers era.

The way they're trying to nickel and dime Bosa is embarrassing to everyone except, of course, the Chargers. To them, as you know, it's just business as usual.

 

[BradyFTW!]

The way they're trying to nickel and dime Bosa is embarrassing to everyone except, of course, the Chargers. To them, as you know, it's just business as usual.

Absolutely. It's kinda sadly funny- when I think about the one area in which I was really disappointed with the Pats at some point in the past 5+ years, after ownership's handling of Deflategate I'd probably land on the fact that Thomas Gill remained the team physician for at least a couple years after it became seemingly apparent that they could do a lot better. It just seems like one of those areas where you really shouldn't take any risks or cut any corners, both for your organizational success and out of a general sense of responsibility.

Yet even in that area, the Chargers made everyone else--including the Pats--look downright responsible. At least the bad press clippings re: Gill mostly didn't come out until after he was canned. With David Chao, stuff like this was publicly known even while he was still the Chargers' team physician:

http://deadspin.com/the-chargers-doctor-is-a-drunk-quack-why-havent-they-466685771

The fact that the Chargers would keep him around even when stuff like this was public information that they had no excuse not to know speaks volumes, IMO.

 

[NJPatsfan26]

This is important. Peyton didn't feel he needed it.

so again as we have all come to realize, Foreheat and Commish met at a cozy restaurant and "talked" hugged and kissed and moved on.

 

[BradyFTW!]

so again as we have all come to realize, Foreheat and Commish met at a cozy restaurant and "talked" hugged and kissed and moved on.

Yup, that's presumably a lot of it. I think the other part is that Manning cares way more about protecting his post-career image than he ever did about the NFLPA, so he didn't really care about selling out the union and establishing a precedent that kinda screws over the other guys. As long as he skates, **** everyone else.

 

[NJPatsfan26]

Yup, that's presumably a lot of it. I think the other part is that Manning cares way more about protecting his post-career image than he ever did about the NFLPA, so he didn't really care about selling out the union and establishing a precedent that kinda screws over the other guys. As long as he skates, **** everyone else.

But he is such a nice guy. the model of integrity and the face of what is right and good in the NFL. He fully cooperated in the investigation.


Crock of ****

 

[XLIX]

The players will continue to get screwed in this league as long as the owners have the anti trust exemption to hide behind.

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's not a by-product of the anti-trust exemption, that's a by-product of the CBA. If the NFL ever got rid of (or otherwise lost) the anti-trust exemption, it would not impact the draft, or release players from their contracts which bind them to a single team.

It's also a by-product of the fact that the NFL is a de-facto monopoly. If a brand new sports league started tomorrow, players could indeed go there and play (assuming that new league had no agreements with the NFL).

 

[Seacoast Fan]

Didn't the NFL already conclude that the Al Jazeera report was without substance by clearing Peyton? I mean sure, I think they were full of **** to do so, but if the report is valid, then Peyton's guilty and the NFL was wrong to clear him. If it's not, then there's no reason for these guys to be under any suspicion.

Those are the only logically consistent conclusions that can be drawn, anyway. If, say, Manning is operating under a special set of rules, or if this is just another completely arbitrary instance of Goodell flexing his unlimited authority for no other reason than that he can, then I guess this makes sense.

On the bright side, this really should hammer home to anyone who still doesn't realize it that Goodell is a ****ing clown who punishes people based on--according to his own previous statements and decisions--nothing at all.

There you go again, applying logic.
This is a "Commissioner" who doesn't observe the laws of physics. Fat chance the rules of logic apply.

 

[VectorPrime]

lol Peyton threw the NFLPA under the bus by essentially shattering their solidarity. What a fuc.king loser.

 

[Seacoast Fan]

I want to see The Dope screw them all, as he did Brady. I'm a vindictive prick...

They say revenge is a dish best served cold.
Hey, I like ice cream and gazpacho, too. Serve it up.

 

[Tuck]

That's not a by-product of the anti-trust exemption, that's a by-product of the CBA. If the NFL ever got rid of (or otherwise lost) the anti-trust exemption, it would not impact the draft, or release players from their contracts which bind them to a single team.

It's also a by-product of the fact that the NFL is a de-facto monopoly. If a brand new sports league started tomorrow, players could indeed go there and play (assuming that new league had no agreements with the NFL).

Understood. The CBA establishes the relationship between labor and management but as you pointed out the NFL has a monopoly on pro football so the players have no leverage in negotiating the CBA because they have no other employment options if management refuses to negotiate in good faith.

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

 

[XLIX]

Understood. The CBA establishes the relationship between labor and management but as you pointed out the NFL has a monopoly on pro football so the players have no leverage in negotiating the CBA because they have no other employment options if management refuses to negotiate in good faith.

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

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.

 

[Tuck]

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.

Is it because there isn't demand or are the barriers to entry just too high? It reminds me of AT&T in the 80's which was operating as a monopoly until was broken up by a federal judge into 7 or 8 regional companies in order to create competition. I'm sure AT& T would try to argue there was not enough demand and that's why there is no competition.

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.

You are right in saying there is nothing in the law that enables the NFL owners to operate as a monopoly, its just that they have an exemption from the law that protects the rest of us from our employers getting together and screwing us in the same way that the NFL players are getting screwed.

I agree with the fact that the players careers play into their weakened position but by far the biggest factor in their predicament is the fact that the teams are allowed to collude and negotiate the CBA as one company as opposed to 32 separate companies competing against each other for labor.

 

[Dr Pain]

NFL football is in its final glory years. The concussion problem will kill the sport from the bottom up.

 

[bbobbo]

Is it because there isn't demand or are the barriers to entry just too high? It reminds me of AT&T in the 80's which was operating as a monopoly until was broken up by a federal judge into 7 or 8 regional companies in order to create competition. I'm sure AT& T would try to argue there was not enough demand and that's why there is no competition.

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.

You are right in saying there is nothing in the law that enable the NFL owners to operate as a monopoly, its just that they have an exemption from the law that protects the rest of us from our employers getting together and screwing us in the same way that the players are getting screwed.

I agree with the fact that the players careers play into the weakened position but by far the biggest factor in their predicament is the fact that the teams are allowed to collude and negotiate the CBA as one company as opposed to 32 separate companies competing against each other for labor.

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

 

[Tuck]

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

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!

 

[DaBruinz]

Well, Goodell is slowing making his way through the other teams in the league, screwing them over.. First it was the Pats. Then the Saints. Recently it was the Chiefs.. Now it's the Steelers and Packers..

All the "goodwill" that some reporters have claimed that Goodell has is slowly eroding in my honest opinion.

And, I am convinced now, more than ever, that Goodell had it out for Brady because of the lawsuit stemming from the contract dispute. I wouldn't be surprised if Manning told Goodell that he only signed on because of Brady and that is why Goodell swept the Manning PEDs accusation away despite there being MORE evidence of wrong doing there than in the Brady situation. And yes. I still believe that Goodell told the officials to make sure that the Broncos won so Peyton could ride off into the sunset ala Ray Lewis..

 

[ctpatsfan77]

That's not a by-product of the anti-trust exemption, that's a by-product of the CBA. If the NFL ever got rid of (or otherwise lost) the anti-trust exemption, it would not impact the draft, or release players from their contracts which bind them to a single team.

Actually, my understanding is that it takes both the anti-trust exemption and the CBA for the draft to exist.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Well, Goodell is slowing making his way through the other teams in the league, screwing them over.. First it was the Pats. Then the Saints. Recently it was the Chiefs.. Now it's the Steelers and Packers..

All the "goodwill" that some reporters have claimed that Goodell has is slowly eroding in my honest opinion.

And, I am convinced now, more than ever, that Goodell had it out for Brady because of the lawsuit stemming from the contract dispute. I wouldn't be surprised if Manning told Goodell that he only signed on because of Brady and that is why Goodell swept the Manning PEDs accusation away despite there being MORE evidence of wrong doing there than in the Brady situation. And yes. I still believe that Goodell told the officials to make sure that the Broncos won so Peyton could ride off into the sunset ala Ray Lewis..

Then he's punishing Brady for having the last name "Brady" (he didn't choose to be the lead plaintiff; the names were just listed in alphabetical order).

 

[Dr Pain]

Lets not forget Manning hiring two goons who pretended to be police to visit Sly's parents. http://deadspin.com/private-eyes-spook-parents-of-manning-hgh-accuser-in-91-1757224765