NFLPA

Ted Sundquist: On Undrafted Free Agents – quality vs quantity

July 26, 2011 By dolfanjill Leave a Comment

I saw the undrafted free agent market a little different than most. As the frantic scramble to fill 90 man rosters across the League continues, most teams are throwing money at the wall and hoping it sticks. My philosophy was always to set aside money to secure a half dozen or so undrafted players that were still on our board (usually from about the 5^th round down). We made sure to budget enough rookie pool (cash and cap) to pay these players almost the equivalent of a late 7^th round choice.

As a result, our coaching staff always felt a little more invested in these players once training camp began. Coaches and scouts were given considerable input into the remaining “signees” after the draft had ended. Many club executives will argue for upwards of 20 undrafted rookies. I’m against that point of view for a number of reasons but primarily because I don’t think it gives your veterans a good “look” in camp.

I always preferred to fill the remainder of the roster with “Reserve Future” players. Many of these were going into their second year and had already been through a camp and scouted against NFL competition. Each and every one had been invited to our facility for a “Tuesday workout”. Almost all were signed with no bonus and were itching to prove their rookie season wasn’t indicative of their capabilities. There was always a certain “hunger” with this group. Frequently, when bringing in two dozen undrafted rookie free agents, you get a “herd of baby deer” staring into the headlights of an oncoming “veteran freight train”.

Quality versus quantity was my mantra.

Courtesy of:

http://tedsundquist38.com/2011/07/26/my-philosophy-on-undrafted-free-agents-quality-vs-quantity/

Filed Under: Featured, NFL Tagged With: FREE AGENCY, NFL, NFL 2011, NFL Free Agency, NFLPA, TED SUNDQUIST, undrafted free agents

Letter from Roger Goodell

March 12, 2011 By dolfanjill Leave a Comment

National Football League Roger Goodell - Commissioner

Dear NFL Fan,

When I wrote to you last on behalf of the NFL, we promised you that we would work tirelessly to find a collectively bargained solution to our differences with the players’ union. Subsequent to that letter to you, we agreed that the fastest way to a fair agreement was for everyone to work together through a mediation process. For the last three weeks I have personally attended every session of mediation, which is a process our clubs sincerely believe in.

Unfortunately, I have to tell you that earlier today the players’ union walked away from mediation and collective bargaining and has initiated litigation against the clubs. In an effort to get a fair agreement now, our clubs offered a deal today that was, among other things, designed to have no adverse financial impact on veteran players in the early years, and would have met the players’ financial demands in the latter years of the agreement.

The proposal we made included an offer to narrow the player compensation gap that existed in the negotiations by splitting the difference; guarantee a reallocation of savings from first-round rookies to veterans and retirees without negatively affecting compensation for rounds 2-7; no compensation reduction for veterans; implement new year-round health and safety rules; retain the current 16-4 season format for at least two years with any subsequent changes subject to the approval of the league and union; and establish a new legacy fund for retired players ($82 million contributed by the owners over the next two years).

It was a deal that offered compromise, and would have ensured the well-being of our players and guaranteed the long-term future for the fans of the great game we all love so much. It was a deal where everyone would prosper.

We remain committed to collective bargaining and the federal mediation process until an agreement is reached, and call on the union to return to negotiations immediately. NFL players, clubs, and fans want an agreement. The only place it can be reached is at the bargaining table.

While we are disappointed with the union’s actions, we remain steadfastly committed to reaching an agreement that serves the best interest of NFL players, clubs and fans, and thank you for your continued support of our League. First and foremost it is your passion for the game that drives us all, and we will not lose sight of this as we continue to work for a deal that works for everyone.

Yours,
Roger Goodell

Filed Under: Featured, Lockout, NFL Tagged With: letter from roger goodell, NFL, NFL GAME HISTORY, NFL Lockout, NFLPA, nflpa decertification, ROGER GOODELL

NFL Fan Voices Silenced at Today’s Owner’s Meeting

March 2, 2011 By dolfanjill 2 Comments

NFL Fan Voices Silenced at Today’s Owner’s Meeting

Two Super NFL bloggers representing fans who are not part of the NFL owners meeting threatened with arrest

CHANTILLY, Va. – 3-2-11 NFL blogger Jillian Ricard of Miami flew into town today in the hopes of delivering a “Block the Lockout” petition with 150,000 names on it to the NFL team owners meetings in Northern, VA. What Ms. Ricard and fellow blogger, local resident Alex Greer of Washington, DC, got was an arrest threat if they pressed the hotels’ “no solicitation” policy and/or approached the owners.

Not taking any sides, Ricard and Greer as well as 150,000 of their fellow fans just want to have their voices heard at the team meetings. “There are many parties not represented at these talks,” said Ricard. “However, it’s NFL fans who spend BIG money for game tickets, food, merchandise and so much more that should be allowed to have their say,” added Ricard.

The pair showed up at the owners meeting wearing gray t-shirts with the slogan, “Block the Lockout Let Us Play,” hoping to deliver bound photocopied books the size of yellow pages containing the names of 150,000 fans and a cover letter that states: “We the fans of the NFL demand you NOT lock out players in 2011. The players want to play football and we passionately want to see America’s most popular sport.”

Instead of the special delivery, they were turned away and threatened with arrest if they did not vacate the premises by a hotel security guard. “He should not have been so rude,” said Ricard. “After all, I told him in this shaky economy and the threat of a lockout, his job was also in jeopardy. Fewer fans mean less work for everyone in every NFL city. It’s the ancillary workers and business owner who also have a lot at stake here,” Ricard said. They were not being disruptive. All they wanted to do was personally deliver the petitions to the owners. The guard didn’t seem to care or even understand the significance of the issue at hand.

From the USA Today: Alex Greer, left, and Jillian Ricard, right tried unsuccessfully to hand anti-lockout petitions to NFL owners Wednesday in Virginia.

According to today’s “The Huddle,” on USA Today Online, the two “stood in the lobby of the Marriott conference center where the owners were to meet. They brought along boxes of white paper volumes about the size of phone books, held together by plastic ring binders. They said each contained the list of names of petitioning fans.

Their website is www.nfllockout.com.

Greer said Ricard started the movement via her blog; DolfanJill.com.”She really made a push on her blog and just took it from one blog to the next, and we spread it around getting signatures,” said Greer. “We’ve been making the push since about August … all across the country.”

“They told us not to approach the owners directly,” said Greer. “We were trying to give it to them, (the owners) but we were blocked,” said Ricard. She said an NFL representative told them the league would “make sure they are given to the owners.” But she said of their boxes of books, “If they can’t guarantee us delivery, why would we leave them?”

Thirty-one of the forty or so binders did eventually make into NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy’s hands. McCarthy who recognized Ricard from a meeting in Dallas at the Super Bowl agreed to transport the binders to New York. Two of the binders were delivered to NFLPA headquarters in Washington, DC and two were given to reporters. On a side note, NFL Network reporters were on hand to cover the meetings and did videotape the attempted delivery. According to Ricard, they were forbidden to air the segment by the owners.

NFL team owners have been negotiating in earnest for the last several days with the NFLPA (NFL Players Association) in the hopes of finding a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) before a threatened lockout this Thursday at 11:59 PM. Neither party could not be reached for comment.

On her blog today, Ricard wrote: “Today was about informing NFL owners where fans stand in regards to the lockout. To remind owners that without fans and our support there would be no football. We account for 1/3 of the pie, (owners & players 2/3) and fans should have a say or at least have our voice considered (before the final decision to lockout the players is made).

So today I set out to remind owners that they were fans once, to remember why they loved the game and to hear what fans really have to say. Success to me is defined as taking a chance and feeling confident you did everything to succeed. So yes I was successful.
I took a chance to give fans a voice, to give footballs tradition the respect it deserves and thanks to press the message will trickle out. Block the lockout and keep yelling football fans, this is our game too!”

Recap By: Steven Rosenberg

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2011/03/nfl-owners-meetings-labor-negotiations-union-lockout-cba/1

http://www.foxcharlotte.com/news/local/Jerry-Richardson-Says-NFL-Union-Meetings-Havent-Been-Successful-117268813.html

http://www.nfllockout.com/2011/03/02/nfl-fans-deliver-petition-to-owners-threatened-with-arrest/

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/14761500/nfl-union-exit-mediation-after-4-hours-wednesday

Filed Under: Dolphins, Featured, Lockout, NFL Tagged With: CBA, dolfanjill, jillian ricard, LOCKOUT, Miami, miami dolphins, nfl cba, nfl fans, nfl fans boycott, nfl fans petition, nfl fans silenced, nfl fans threatened, NFL Lockout, nfl owners, NFL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION, NFLPA, owners block fans, Philidelphia

NFL & NFLPA Tax Records

February 24, 2011 By dolfanjill 1 Comment

NFL & NFLPA Assets Per 990 and 990ez Tax Records

Filed Under: Tax Records Tagged With: NFL, nfl assets, NFL Tax Records, NFLPA, nflpa tax records

Historical Lockout Time Line

February 24, 2011 By dolfanjill 1 Comment

March 2006: NFL owners voted overwhelmingly (30-2) to extend the CBA that was set to expire after the 2007 season for an additional six years thereby guaranteeing football through the 2012 season.

February 2007: NFL owners began imposing lockout clauses in coaches’ and executives’ contracts that gave clubs the right to reduce compensation in the event of a lockout. Examples include language allowing the clubs to reduce, terminate, or suspend the contract on 20 days’ notice, reduce salary by 50 percent if a lockout continues for more than 90 days, terminate the employee without pay on 60 days’ notice, and extend the contract another year at the same terms as 2011 if at least eight NFL games are canceled due to a lockout.

February 2008: The NFL asked the 8^th Circuit Court of Appeals to end the jurisdiction of U.S. District Judge David Doty over the free agency/salary cap system. The league claimed that Judge Doty was biased in favor of the players. The 8^th Circuit disagreed and ruled in favor of the NFLPA on November 10, 2009. As such, Judge Doty’s jurisdiction continues.

March 2008: The NFL retained veteran labor-relations attorney, Bob Batterman, as outside counsel. Batterman is widely credited for orchestrating the 2004-2005 lockout in the NHL.

May 2008: NFL owners voted unanimously to opt out of the 2006 CBA extension thereby terminating the agreement in March of 2011—two years early.

December 2008: The NFL began a strategic and premeditated course of action designed to reduce expenses by laying off 15% of its staff.

January 2009: Despite its victory in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in American Needle, Inc. v. National Football League, et al., the NFL took the unusual step of supporting American Needle’s request for review by the United States Supreme Court in an effort to obtain a broader ruling that would find the clubs and the league to constitute a single entity for antitrust purposes. If the league and the clubs are considered a single entity, they would not be deemed to be competitors who have made agreements in restraint of trade under the antitrust laws.

February 2009: Roger Goodell took a 25% pay cut for the 2008 season and instituted a salary freeze for all league employees at least through the 2009 season.

March 2009: At the annual NFL owners’ meetings, the owners passed a resolution allowing all NFL teams to opt out of a defined benefit pension plan for NFL coaches and executives. As a result, nine teams have opted out of the league’s established policy and now provide less beneficial pension plans to coaches and executives.

March 2009: DirecTV renewed its deal to serve as the NFL’s exclusive satellite carrier through the 2014 season. The deal is worth $1 billion annually and right’s fees will be paid to the league notwithstanding a lockout in 2011.

May 2009: Fox and CBS renewed their broadcasting rights deals with the NFL. The deals, which are said to be worth more than $712 million a year from Fox and $622 million a year from CBS, guarantee payment even if there is a lockout.

May-September 2009: In continuing its efforts to solidify a war chest in the event of a lockout, the NFL agreed to extend its multimillion dollar corporate sponsorships with FedEx, Visa, IBM, and Proctor & Gamble beyond the 2011 season.

October 2009: The NFL hired former NFLPA President George Martin as President of the NFL Alumni Association—a newly created position. To some the decision to hire Vincent may be viewed as altruistic, to others, including Peter King from Sports Illustrated, the league’s motives were less benign, speculating that league may be trying “to crush the NFLPA by co-opting some of its alum[ni].”

December 2009: The NFL informed the NFLPA of its intent to terminate the Supplemental Revenue Sharing (SRS) program that promotes competitive balance and helps the lower-revenue clubs compete. Former VP of the Green Bay Packers Andy Brandy described the NFL’s decision to pull out of the supplemental revenue sharing plan as “sending a clear message to its players and the union that the teams that want to go under the floor and cut team payroll to pre-2006 levels, say $85-$90 million…will now have a legitimate reason for doing so.”

February 2010: The NFL launched a new website, www.NFLlabor.com, to exclusively address labor matters. The NFL is using the website to disseminate false and misleading propaganda in an attempt to drive a wedge between the players and the NFLPA. This is not the first time a league has launched its own website devoted to a labor conflict. In the stages leading up to its own lockout, the NHL, led by NFL attorney Bob Batterman, developed its own portal dedicated to voicing its perspective on the ongoing negotiations with the NHLPA.

February 2010: The NFLPA filed a Special Master case against the league because it discovered that the NFL did not provide its lower-revenue clubs with all of the supplemental revenue sharing that was promised in the CBA for the years 2006-08. Such funds are important to ensure that the lower-revenue teams can field competitive teams, offer competitive salaries and provide their fans with hope for success on the field each NFL season.

February 2010: The NFL announced the hiring of former NFLPA President Troy Vincent as VP/Player Development for Active Players, less than a year after he lost the election to be the NFLPA Executive Director and as the league and union are engaged in contentious negotiations for a new labor deal. The timing of the hire raised serious questions about the league’s motive as described by Bill Gould, former National Labor Relations Board Chair, who said it was quite uncommon for management to hire a former leader of the union it negotiates against during the midst of collective bargaining.

February 2010: The NFL rejected the NFLPA’s proposal to continue the current capped system for an additional year which would have allowed the parties ample time to complete work on a long-term CBA.

February 2010: Reports surfaced that the NFL is seeking to acquire the newly formed United Football League (UFL). Though the league denied the reports, such a move would further illustrate the league’s attempts to restrict player mobility and strengthen its monopoly of professional football.

March 2010: The league agreed to a four-year $720 million agreement with Verizon, the largest U.S. wireless operator, to become the league’s exclusive wireless partner. The agreement marks the biggest overlap between a sponsorship and media deal in American sports league history.

May 2010: In one of the largest sponsorship deals ever, Anheuser-Busch and the NFL agreed to a six-year $1.2 billion deal to become the official beer sponsor of the NFL beginning in 2011.

August 2010: NFL team executives negotiated contracts of the 2010 first-round draft picks to reflect the belief there will be a lockout in 2011 by changing the payment date of option bonuses from the first two weeks of the league year, which begins in March, to around the time the first regular-season game is played in 2011, whenever that may be.

September 2010: Five months prior to the implementation of a lockout, the NFL informed its employees of its three-phase plan that will require many of its employees to take unpaid leaves of absences as well as pay cuts.

October 2010: The NFL is requiring banks lending to its teams to extend the traditional six-month grace period for declaring a default to stretch instead through to the end of the 2011 season in preparation for a lockout.

Source: NFLPA by NFLPA

Filed Under: Lockout Tagged With: CBA, LOCKOUT, Lockout Timeline, NFL Lockout, NFL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION, NFLPA

Lockout Event List

February 24, 2011 By dolfanjill Leave a Comment

	Impose lockout clauses in coaches’ and executives’ contracts that give clubs the right to reduce compensation in the event of a lockout. Make sure to include language that will reduce, terminate, or suspend the contract on 20 days’ notice, reduce salary by 50 percent if a lockout continues for more than 90 days, terminate the employee without pay on 60 days’ notice, and extend the contract another year at the same terms as 2011 if at least eight NFL games are canceled due to a lockout.

	Retain Bob Batterman, veteran labor-relations attorney and orchestrator of the 2004-2005 NHL lockout, as outside counsel.

	Vote unanimously to opt out of the 2006 CBA extension thereby terminating the agreement in March of 2011—two years early.

	Begin a strategic and premeditated course of action designed to reduce expenses by laying off 15% of our staff.

	Support American Needle’s request to review American Needle, Inc. v. National Football League, et al., by the United States Supreme Court to obtain a broader ruling that would find the clubs and the league to constitute a single entity for antitrust purposes.

	Have Roger Goodell take a 25% pay cut at least through the 2008 season and institute a salary freeze for all league employees at least through the 2009 season.

	Pass a resolution allowing all NFL teams to opt out of a defined benefit pension plan for NFL coaches and executives.

	Get Direct TV to renew its deal to serve as the NFL’s exclusive satellite carrier through the 2014 season. Deal should be worth at least $1 billion annually and right’s fees need to be paid to the league notwithstanding a lockout in 2011.

	Get Fox and CBS to renew their broadcasting rights deals with the NFL. The deals, which should be worth more than $712 million a year from Fox and $622 million a year from CBS, need to guarantee payment even if there is a lockout.

	Solidify war chest in the event of a lockout by securing $4.5 billion from TV networks even if games aren’t played.

	Hire former NFLPA President George Martin as President of the NFL Alumni Association—a newly created position.

	Hire former NFLPA President Troy Vincent as VP/Player Development for Active Players.

	Reject the NFLPA’s proposal to continue the current capped system for an additional year despite the fact it could allow both parties ample time to complete work on a long-term CBA.

	Reject the player’s union’s proposal to keep playing under an extension of the existing CBA. Five Times.

	Propose an 18 percent giveback of net revenue by the players to offset team costs.

	End obligation to fund players’ health care in the event of a lockout.

	Negotiate contracts of the 2010 first-round draft picks to reflect the belief there will be a lockout in 2011 by changing the payment date of option bonuses from the first two weeks of the league year, which begins in March, to around the time the first regular-season game is played in 2011, whenever that may be.

	Reject the NFLPA’s proposal for a Proven Performance Plan (rookie wage scale).

	Five months prior to the implementation of a lockout, inform employees of three-phase plan that will require many employees to take unpaid leaves of absences as well as pay cuts.

	Require banks lending to teams to extend the traditional six-month grace period for declaring a default to instead stretch through to the end of the 2011 season in preparation for a lockout.

	Propose an 18-game regular season schedule in order to generate more revenue for NFL owners.

	Give at least $600,000 in campaign cash to lawmakers that could pay off during a looming dispute with the players union.

	Announce that we will stop providing health care for players and their families in March when the current CBA expires.

	Solidify war chest in the event of a lockout by building a $900 million pool of money from savings from not paying player benefits.

	Announce plans to offer ticket refunds for all general admission seats to preseason and regular season games canceled by a lockout. Policy will not, however, include refunds for Personal Seat Licenses (PSL’s) or more expensive club seats and luxury suites.

	Offer an even worse deal to the players union as the deadline approaches.