If I were an Owner

[coralreefer_1]

If I were an owner...I'd sell in a heartbeat and equip myself with a 60ft yacht and sail the Caribbean grilling lobster on board, sipping fine margaritas, and living the life Jimmy Buffett only sings about^^

[jtm]

You don't want teams breaking off and doing their own negotiations. If that happens, we are heading towards how pro baseball is run. You don't really want the teams with the most money having all the good players like you do in baseball. The Cowboys and Redskins would have a pro bowl team.

[SevenSixes]

Wrong. The players filed the original suit.

Wrong, the players filed with the NRLB to decertify as a union. There was no lawsuit at that time. The Brady suite was filed AFTER to claim that the NFL had no right to exemptions given by congress to the Anti-Trust Act.

The owners are decrying the act of decertifing as a "sham", but it is a decertification none the less. That decision will be made by the NRLB NOT the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The owners decided to blow this up and they found a willing partner in the NFLPA. The owners hold all the cards, just like they always do, and THEY will end the lockout when they have forced the players into accepting as little as they can without pissing off too many fans.

Then the owners will raise ticket prices on the fans within 2 years of the CBA and ultimately threaten municipalities to get tax breaks and investment incentives to build yet another stadium (LA Vikings Anyone?) and screw the PSL holders for even more money to buy the seat rights to the new stadium. Just in time for a new CBA to be negotiated.

We call that the circle of life..

[jherald]

I've heard rumors here at work (I know that doesn't mean squat) that the owners have been contemplating this lockout for 5 years.

[pantherclaw]

So many people still blaming the owners.

Why, cause they opted out? The old CBA would have only lasted a little longer anyways. I'd rather they get this done sooner rather than put it off.

The players haven't made ANY attempts to come to an agreement. From the beginning it was the union/players decision to take it into court.

Blame the owners all you want, but at least they have been making offers, and trying to get things done.

The new CBA will not get done in court.

[Delhommey]

If the players didn't want to get locked out, they shouldn't have worn that dress. They got what was coming to them!

[JawnyBlaze]

union or not...players and owners aren't allowed to talk.

players and STAFF (coaches, etc) aren't allowed to talk. owners can talk to whomever they gd well please.

[DaveThePanther2008]

CANTRELL you are missing a couple of steps.

*owners opt out of the cba* Two Years before the CBA was due to end. Because they gave in and gave the players too much in 06

*Player not bargaining in good Faith.... Leave the Table and "Decertify" the Union

*owners lock the players out* Only after the Union left the table

*court ends lockout*

*owners fight in court for the reinstatement of the lockout* And put the NFLPA on notice that not everyone is onboard with the decertifation is valid

goddammit d-bag smith you thug, you're just forcing this lockout and keeping the dispute in the courts. just do the honorable thing and capitulate to the billionaires who opted out of the cba to begin with

The only bad things will come of football if the players win this sham

[carolinarolls]

*owners opt out of the cba*

*owners lock the players out*

*court ends lockout*

*owners fight in court for the reinstatement of the lockout*

goddammit d-bag smith you thug, you're just forcing this lockout and keeping the dispute in the courts. just do the honorable thing and capitulate to the billionaires who opted out of the cba to begin with

eyes wide shut

[Lords0fPain]

Timelines, used 3 as each has different info:

http://dolfanjill.com/2011/02/24/nfl-nflpa-historical-lockout-time-line/

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2011-03-03-nfl-labor-disputes-timeline_N.htm

http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/feed/2010-09/nfl-labor-talks/story/nfl-labor-timeline-1987-to-2011