With the NFL closing in on a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement, owners and players will return to the negotiating table in a mediation setting on Monday and Tuesday to settle a handful of unresolved issues, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.
According to sources, the sides will meet in either New York or Washington D.C., and U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan could join them on either day.
NFL Labor Negotiations and Lockout The NFL lockout began on March 11, but an end appears near. ESPN.com Topics keeps you up to date on all of the latest on the labor situation. More »
Before departing for an overseas vacation on July 9, Boylan ordered a mediation session in Minneapolis on Tuesday. It had appeared that the mediation session would be cancelled after the progress made in New York on Thursday and Friday, but sources say the hope is that mediation will nudge the two sides to a final agreement in time for the players to vote to recertify as a union and approve an agreement Wednesday.
Under that scenario, the owners would ratify the new CBA on Thursday at the league meetings in Atlanta. According to sources, the two sides also could use Wednesday morning to finish their mediated negotiation session, if necessary.
The outstanding unresolved issues, according to sources: • Players want restoration of $320 million in lost benefits from the 2010 uncapped season.
• Players want to limit use of the franchise tag on unrestricted free agents to a one-time application. Previously, teams could use the franchise tag on a player on three separate occasions with significant increases on one-year guaranteed salaries for every additional year that the player was tagged.
• Settlement of the Brady antitrust lawsuit involving 10 named plaintiffs. The limit of franchise tags on all players could be the anchor to the settlement. That would result in named plaintiffs such as Drew Brees, Logan Mankins, Peyton Manning and Vincent Jackson not being subject to any free agent restrictions in 2012 if their respective teams do not sign them to long-term contracts.
• Workman's compensation. It has been an underpublicized and complex issue for the owners that has resulted in numerous lawsuits. Owners want players to file for workman's comp benefits in the state in which they played, if they suffered an injury. Currently, players have used California as a filing base if they can prove they suffered any injury during their career while playing in that state.
• Settlement of the television damages case stemming from U.S. District Judge David Doty's ruling that owners did not act in the best interests of players as directed by the previous CBA in creating "lockout insurance." The players have asked Doty to place $4 billion in escrow until the lockout is resolved but Doty has not ruled. It is possible the players will use this leverage to gain the $320 million in restoration of lost benefits from 2010.
Under a ratified agreement, teams would have an exclusive 72-hour window to negotiate contracts with their own free agents Friday before those players hit the open market at the start of league-wide free agency on July 25th.
One key concession made by the owners will effectively eliminate two-a-day practices during training camp as a health and safety issue that players termed critical to an agreement, the sources said. Teams will be allowed to have some helmetless and padless non-contact walk-through practices in lieu of a second training camp practice on the same day.
According to sources, teams will also reduce offseason workouts from 14 on-field organized team activities (practices) to nine. Six of those nine practices must be helmetless. Players also will not be subject to reporting for offseason work with coaches until May 1, although one source said that date could be in mid-April. Previously, players could work with coaches beginning in March. March 15 was the designated date in 2011 before the lockout went into effect March 13.
Under the proposed 10-year CBA, players would get a split ranging from 48 to 46.5 percent of a simplified all-revenue model, the sources said. The lower 46.5 percentage would represent an increase in total dollars as revenues grow from new television contracts, as well as allowing credits if three new stadiums are constructed, including one in Los Angeles, where the NFL has not had a team since the 1994 season.
Talks had stalled last week before, according to sources, the sides reached agreement on both a rookie wage system and salary cap on Thursday and free agency rules for 2011 on Friday.
Baltimore Ravens cornerback Domonique Foxworth, a key member of the players' side in the talks, commented on the lengthy negotiations on his Twitter account Saturday night.
Foxworth wrote: "What a long busy week. I'm so tired. I need my daughter to take a nap so I can."
New rules seminar tentatively slated for Friday
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on July 18, 2011, 1:22 PM EDT
APWe’ve heard some rough estimates that unrestricted free agency could start by Monday July 25, with teams able to re-sign their own players starting on Friday. That timeline sounds a little aggressive.
Judy Battista of the New York Times that a “labor seminar” for league executives will be held Thursday and Friday, should a labor agreement be ratified Thursday. They will go over all the new rules. It’s hard to imagine transactions allowed that day or even the next day.
Battista and ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted that a memo was sent out to all 32 teams Monday detailing plans for the week. Teams were asked to bring up to four key personnel members per club to the meeting in addition to owners. Agents will also have to be briefed.
It sounds like the rough timeline we wrote about when the “Transition Rules” were reported by ESPN are basically still expected.
This all assumes a deal is actually done by Thursday and we’re not ready to pop any champagne just yet.
"That's a clown question, bro" - - - - - - - - - - Bryce Harper, DC Statesman "But Oz never did give nothing to the Tin Man That he didn't, didn't already have" - - - - - - - - - - Dewey Bunnell, America
ain't it the truth? cannot wait to get this BS over with
just a bunch of greedy bastards - stop it already
Until recently, Snyder & Allen have made a lot of really bad decisions - nobody with any sense believes this franchise will get better under their guidance Snyder's W/L record = 45% (80-96) - Snyder/Allen = 41% (59-84-1)
Love this analogy which comes from George Atallah of the NFLPA (Decertified):
"Nobody cheers for you at Mile 25 of a marathon. You still have to cross the finish line," the NFLPA's Atallah said. "There still are things that can get you tripped up, and we're going to push through."
Red_One43 wrote:Love this analogy which comes from George Atallah of the NFLPA (Decertified):
"Nobody cheers for you at Mile 25 of a marathon. You still have to cross the finish line," the NFLPA's Atallah said. "There still are things that can get you tripped up, and we're going to push through."
Red_One43 wrote:Love this analogy which comes from George Atallah of the NFLPA (Decertified):
"Nobody cheers for you at Mile 25 of a marathon. You still have to cross the finish line," the NFLPA's Atallah said. "There still are things that can get you tripped up, and we're going to push through."
He's wrong. You get cheered along the whole course in all road races.
I was just thinking exactly that... it's clear that he has NEVER attended a road race.
Frankly, my response is a simple "Shut up and get the deal done".
"That's a clown question, bro" - - - - - - - - - - Bryce Harper, DC Statesman "But Oz never did give nothing to the Tin Man That he didn't, didn't already have" - - - - - - - - - - Dewey Bunnell, America
Red_One43 wrote:Love this analogy which comes from George Atallah of the NFLPA (Decertified):
"Nobody cheers for you at Mile 25 of a marathon. You still have to cross the finish line," the NFLPA's Atallah said. "There still are things that can get you tripped up, and we're going to push through."
He's wrong. You get cheered along the whole course in all road races.
Yup, he is definitely wrong on that account, but let's hope that he is right as to where we are on the settlement and he should know since he is not some reporter just pouting off leaks.
I figure like most negotiations, this one will go right up until a decision must be made to prevent everyone from losing and that starts with the $200 million for the first week of preseason.
Wide Receiver Vincent Jackson and Guard Logan Mankins have requested that their players either become unrestricted free agents when the lockout is over or that they receive $10 million each as part of the settlement. Both Jackson and Mankins chose to sit out much of the 2010 season when they failed to reach long-term deals with the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots, respectively.
"That's a clown question, bro" - - - - - - - - - - Bryce Harper, DC Statesman "But Oz never did give nothing to the Tin Man That he didn't, didn't already have" - - - - - - - - - - Dewey Bunnell, America
A virtually completed deal to end the NFL’s four-month lockout is expected to be presented to player representatives on Wednesday for review and possible recommendation of approval, several people familiar with the deliberations said Tuesday night.
Attorneys for the league and players met Tuesday in New York with their court-appointed mediator, Chief Magistrate Judge Arthur J. Boylan, and failed to resolve all the remaining issues, according to people not involved in the negotiations but familiar with them. But the two sides made sufficient progress that they intended to have a draft ready for presentation to the players Wednesday in Washington, those people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the deliberations.
A virtually completed deal to end the NFL’s four-month lockout is expected to be presented to player representatives on Wednesday for review and possible recommendation of approval, several people familiar with the deliberations said Tuesday night.
Attorneys for the league and players met Tuesday in New York with their court-appointed mediator, Chief Magistrate Judge Arthur J. Boylan, and failed to resolve all the remaining issues, according to people not involved in the negotiations but familiar with them. But the two sides made sufficient progress that they intended to have a draft ready for presentation to the players Wednesday in Washington, those people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the deliberations.
It's not about greed, it's about respect, as measured in money. No wait, it's about freedom, as measured in money. Um...would you believe it's about choice, measured in money????
Hail to the Redskins!
Groucho: Man does not control his own fate. The women in his life do that for him
Twain: A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way
It's not about greed, it's about respect, as measured in money. No wait, it's about freedom, as measured in money. Um...would you believe it's about choice, measured in money????
so now both Mankins and Jackson are saying that they are NOT looking for more money
are you kidding me - ALL of these guys are only interested in one thing - more money
and the other thing that is really pissing me off is the amount to give to the retired players - the owners have agreed to give up 1.5% and the current players are not interested in matching this - do these guys really not get it?
I hope that we get a CBA soon and I'm TOTALLY interested in hoping the new deal is one the owners love AND that screws anyone who has anything to do with delaying this process any longer
Until recently, Snyder & Allen have made a lot of really bad decisions - nobody with any sense believes this franchise will get better under their guidance Snyder's W/L record = 45% (80-96) - Snyder/Allen = 41% (59-84-1)
Owners ratify settlement in major step toward ending NFL lockout
In a major step toward ending the NFL lockout, the league’s owners have voted to ratify a proposal settling the players’ antitrust litigation.
This was the key vote that had been anticipated at this NFL owners’ meeting for weeks, but it doesn’t end the lockout in and of itself. The players still need to accept the settlement, and to vote to re-certify their union. Then the owners and players would agree to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement and get back to work.
According to NFL Network, the owners voted 31-0 to approve the settlement, with the Oakland Raiders abstaining.
NFLPA* members will hold a conference call this evening at which they, too, may hold a vote, and if the players accept the same terms that the owners voted to accept, the lockout will be very close to an end.
The ball IS in the players court ... AAAACE! Oooh, did you see that serve by the owners!
The ball is still in the the players' court, but after that serve went by their eyes so fast, they are still scrambling to find it.
Report: Players unlikely to vote Thursday night
It looks like we won’t have a labor agreement before the end of the night.
Jay Glazer of FOX reports that players do not expect to vote on Thursday night. A report surfaced that the players “rejected” the owner’s proposal, but that proved premature. They can’t reject something they haven’t voted on.
We’re hesitant to say anything is set in stone considering the nature of these talks, but this much is clear: The players have not reacted well to the owners’ ratification Thursday.
"That's a clown question, bro" - - - - - - - - - - Bryce Harper, DC Statesman "But Oz never did give nothing to the Tin Man That he didn't, didn't already have" - - - - - - - - - - Dewey Bunnell, America
Please don't get excited about that press conference. The owners have agreed on a deal we the players have not seen! This is not consistent less than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhone Favorite Retweet Reply Vonnie Holliday
