Owners Approve Proposed Labor Deal
July 21st, 2011 @ 7:50 pm; ChiefsWarpath.com
130 Views l 5 Comments
[ESPN.com] The first step in ending the NFL lockout, which began on March 11, has finally taken place. On the 132nd day of the lockout, the NFL team owners have voted on the settlement and the new CBA has passed.
The final voting results were 31 to nothing, with only the Oakland Raiders not voting.
The league will be preparing to open up training facilities on Saturday with the league year starting on Wednesday.
During the process, the Hall of Fame game between the Rams and the Bears has been cancelled.
Key aspects of the proposal include:
An agreement that covers the 2011 through 2020 seasons, including the 2021 draft.
Reducing the offseason program by five weeks and reducing organized team activities from 14 to 10; limiting full-contact practices in the preseason and regular season, and increasing number of days off for players.
Rookie wage scale to include four-year contracts for all drafted players (option for five years on first-rounders), three-year contracts for undrafted free agents, and strong anti-holdout rules.
Creation of a new fund to redistribute, beginning in 2012, savings from new rookie pay system to current and retired player benefits and a veteran player performance pool.
Unrestricted free agency for players after four accrued seasons; restricted free agency for players with three accrued seasons.
Over the next 10 years, additional funding for retiree benefits between $900 million and $1 billion. The largest single amount, $620 million, will be used for a new “Legacy Fund,” which will be devoted to increasing pensions for pre-1993 retirees.
Salary cap plus benefits of $142.4 million per club in 2011 and at least that amount in 2012 and 2013.
The ball is in the players’ court now as everyone waits to see what their next move will be. A conference call among the players will take place tonight and it is possible that the players will be presented with information on any last minute changes that may have taken place. It is also possible that they may vote on the settlement terms on this call as well.
In order for the lockout to end, the players must take the following steps:
Settle the Brady versus the NFL and television money deals.
Vote to re-certify the NFLPA as a union.
Vote to ratify the new CBA settlement.
Updated: 7/22/11
NFL Players Association lawyers and officials have had time to begin digesting the league’s proposal for a new deal, and several concerns remain regarding language contained in it and matters the players believe are unresolved, according to numerous sources with direct knowledge of the situation. Conversations with player reps and NFLPA officials revealed no sense that a vote on ratification was imminent, instead indicating that more time will be necessary to reach an agreement on the deal ratified and proposed by owners Thursday.
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when i first started paying attention to the lockout, i tried to keep an open mind and listen to both the owners and the players. but after last night, i finally chose a side. im on the owners side! dee smith is just a media clown with a weird underbite trying to make a name for himself. the guy wears stylish hats, addresses the media in a smart ass sort of way, and interrupts espn on a live shoot. the players are being lead by an agenda driven celebrity want-to-be that is really only in it for himself. the fact that the overpaid players are speaking for the underpaid players makes me think of the game as a business rather than sport. players are given an inch, they are now reaching for a mile. fuck dee smith, peyton manning, drew brees, vincent jackson, mangold, and tim tebow! i had to throw in tebow because he is just a fake douche bag like dee smith!
Comment by ekplueger — July 22, 2011 @ 6:16 pm
Like it or not, the nfl is a business. If people dont like the fact that each side is trying to get the best deal or that players and owners make too much money, then may i suggest not watching games or buying jerseys or hats. You have every right not to give them a dime if you so choose. I also think its hard to pick sides unless you have read all of the hundreds of pages of the cba. One word changed or misplaced in a cba can mean a lot in either direction. I still think it will get done shortly and games will be played. And yes Tebow is a douche.
Comment by td47 — July 23, 2011 @ 12:30 am
noone …I mean noone deserves that kind of money…PERIOD…. ok… servicemen and public servants do. AS for sports, I can live without it…as for movies….I can live without….Movie stars and athletes are a big scam
Comment by kcchiefs19692003 — July 23, 2011 @ 10:53 am
I remember when the last CBA was being negotiated that then NFLPA president Gene Upshaw slapped the players’ proposal down on the table and told the owners to “take it or leave it” and gave the owners 2 days to vote. He then jetted to Hawaii for meetings. The owners were left holding the bag and relunctantly voted to pass it. I think that’s why they exercised the opt out in 2008, to get a better deal than what the old CBA had in it. So I think what happened last week was kind of a “payback” by the owners for what happened in 2006. But from what I read of the new CBA so far the players are still going to come out ahead. The owners did not give the players the same “take it or leave it” message though. The owners are willing to talk about any concerns the players have to get this thing settled. BTY, the new CBA does not have an opt out clause in it, and now I hear the players want one included.
Comment by Lloyd — July 24, 2011 @ 8:20 am
Yea, it’s a business and both sides, owners and employees (players), have the right to fight for whatever they can get. But players make way too much and the fans pay for it in the end. 60 million for the first player in the draft is too much for a player that’s never played a down. I’m glad they have a pay scale for rookies now and can’t wait to see it. That should also help to get the rookies in camp on time. In the beginning of this lockout the owners proposed a 14 percent pay riase in salary cap over 5 years. That was almost a 3 percent raise per year. I would be happy in my job if I could get a raise like that. Owners should never have to show their books to the employees either. It’s none of their business.
Comment by Jeff in VA — July 24, 2011 @ 2:35 pm