What They’re Saying
“Other than a Super Bowl, the next thing you look forward to is reaching free agency, because I want to see where my value is, wherever it might be – high, low or whatever. But this is a different year, different set of circumstances. You just have to approach it as, you left all you had out on the field and hopefully you get rewarded for it. That’s all you can do.”
– Panthers tight end Jeff King, who has four accrued seasons and will be a restricted free agent in an uncapped 2010 season (2/20/10 — CharlotteObserver.com)
“Too many guys have earned the opportunity to be free agents and are angry that the rules have changed.”
– Falcons guard Tyson Clabo, who has four accrued seasons and will be a restricted free agent in an uncapped 2010 season (2/22/10 issue — ESPN the Magazine)
“Teams aren’t going to give up picks. So if you have anybody decent, anybody you want to keep, all you have to do is put the second-round tender on him and you know no one’s going to make a move.”
– Player agent Rick Smith (2/20/10 — CharlotteObserver.com)
“A lot of us look forward to free agency, look forward to that chance to cash in the big payday. But it is what it is.”
– Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis, who has five accrued seasons and will be a restricted free agent in an uncapped 2010 season (2/20/10 — CharlotteObserver.com)
“We recognize and understand the economic challenges facing our fans.”
– Broncos senior vice president of business development Mac Freeman on the team freezing ticket prices for a second consecutive season (2/12/10 – Denver Post)
“We’re asking [players] to recognize the incredible costs, which they have already acknowledged, that are required to grow revenue. You have to invest in these stadiums that we’re in today. You need to find new ways of creating revenue, whether it’s international or otherwise. And that takes investment. And we need to make sure that the owners have the capital to be able to do that. And then the pie grows and everyone benefits. And so I think the players will continue to see growing revenue – growing salaries, but their salaries have doubled over the last decade.”
– Commissioner Roger Goodell (2/7/10 – CBS’ “Face the Nation”)
“We want an agreement that’s fair to the game, to the players and will allow us to continue to invest in the game. The idea that ownership would be anxious for a work stoppage is absolutely false. You don’t make money by shutting down your business. It’s a bad scenario for everybody. I can assure you the ownership and I believe the players—in talking to individual players—want to get an agreement and want to work to do that. We are currently committed to do that and I am right there at the forefront.”
– Commissioner Roger Goodell (2/5/10 – Super Bowl press conference)
“Our focus is on trying to get an agreement as soon as we possibly can. Before there is any kind of a work stoppage, we still have a lot of time and a lot of important opportunities here to structure something that makes sense for everybody. We’re committed and we’re determined to do that. Our focus is on the immediate future. In the next 30 days or so, we’ll be going into an uncapped year if we are not successful. A lot of players will be affected by that. We’d like to see if something can get done.”
– Commissioner Roger Goodell (2/5/10 – Super Bowl press conference)
“We’ve asked very clearly for 18-percent cost recognition so that when investments are made to grow the game and generate revenue, they’re given recognition. And, that will encourage further investment. It will, hopefully, grow that pie. You’ve heard one example: Los Angeles. By investing in a new stadium in Los Angeles that will generate more revenue, the players would share it. That’s a positive. We’ve talked about a restructured season as another way to generate new revenue by improving the quality of what we’re doing.”
– Commissioner Roger Goodell (2/5/10 – Super Bowl press conference)
“We have shared that data with [our players] and we will continue to share that data with them. And you point out that other leagues have opened their books. Unfortunately that is not the Holy Grail. [Other] leagues went into lockouts and extended lockouts.”
– Commissioner Roger Goodell (2/5/10 – Super Bowl press conference)
“The important number to focus on is since the 2006 agreement was struck, we have generated $3.6 billion in incremental revenue, additional revenue. $2.6 billion of that has gone to the players. The owners are actually $200 million worse off than they were in 2006. So the system is not working for at least one side of the equation. And that’s the point. You have to have a system that works for everybody.”
– Commissioner Roger Goodell (2/5/10, Super Bowl press conference)
“The players should be paid fairly and they should be paid well. We should do everything we can to continue to find ways to invest in the game and hopefully make it beneficial to everybody.”
– Commissioner Roger Goodell (2/5/10, Super Bowl press conference)
“There has been a lot of discussion in the public including by DeMaurice Smith that the salary cap has been good for the players, it’s been good for the game. I would hope that he doesn’t take things off the table that are good for the game and that we all sit down and try to be reasonable and try to be fair.”
– Commissioner Roger Goodell (2/5/10, Super Bowl press conference)
“There have been a lot of changes in NFL economics over the years. Most specifically, the investments they are making in stadiums and operating those stadiums and the capital improvements required for those stadiums. That takes a significant investment that we didn’t have 20 years ago and our system has to recognize that.”
– Commissioner Roger Goodell (2/5/10, Super Bowl press conference)
“That is a one-billion dollar gift that we give the owners for stadium renovations, stadium upkeep, G3 program – all of the things that players agreed to give for cost considerations to generate revenue.”
– NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith (2/4/10, press conference)
“The reason there is a $1 billion deduction is that it reflects actual costs incurred. Costs that are incurred to grow revenues, money that is spent in investments – invested in things like stadiums, NFL Network, NFL.com, putting games on overseas – all of which is intended to and which has in fact had the effect of generating substantial additional revenues, 60% of which go to NFL players. The union knows that is true, because the union has absolute rights to audit those expenses and confirm that they are accurate, complete, and fairly stated.”
– NFL executive vice president of labor/league counsel Jeff Pash (2/4/10)
“I am thrilled that guys like Tom Brady who have not been involved before have come to the fold.”
– NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith (2/4/10, press conference)
“On a scale of 1 to 10, [a work stoppage] is a 14.”
– NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith (2/4/10, press conference)
“I couldn’t make that prediction and I sure hope he’s wrong and I sure hope it doesn’t become a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
– Commissioner Roger Goodell (2/5/10, Super Bowl press conference)
“[What] we do not understand and cannot give into is how a business that makes over $8 billion and averages over $31 million per team can look its employees in the face and say, ‘Take an 18-percent pay cut,’ without any justification for doing so.”
– NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith (2/4/10, press conference)
“We have asked for 18% credit against the revenue base to reflect costs that we incur that we do not receive credit for today. From that revenue base, the players would then continue to get the same percentage that they get today under the salary cap. The change is nowhere close to 18%, probably half that. More importantly, our proposal should not result, and we have never said it would result, in players having to take a reduction because the entire point is to generate a pool of resources to have continued investment and continued growth which will lead to higher salaries and higher benefits for players.”
– NFL executive vice president of labor/league counsel Jeff Pash (2/4/10)
“When we meet with them, they acknowledge that the clubs are being squeezed. Those are their words, not my words. They acknowledge to us that our non-player expenses have gone through the roof. Those are their words, not mine. They acknowledge to us that we are getting crushed – crushed – by non-player costs. Those are their words.”
– NFL executive vice president of labor/league counsel Jeff Pash (2/4/10)
“We, as far back as last summer, proposed enhancing the pension plan with respect to players that have retired prior to 1993. We proposed the Legacy Fund concept on a couple of occasions. One suggestion we made was that management and the union would each contribute an equal amount. The union has very substantial business operations through Players, Inc. and their whole commercial arm. We suggested that we each contribute something to that. The union didn’t have any enthusiasm for that when we first proposed it, and you heard De Maurice’s answer when that question was put to him: he didn’t have any enthusiasm for it today.”
– – NFL executive vice president of labor/league counsel Jeff Pash (2/4/10)
“On behalf of the 3,000 members who once played in the NFL, I propose that instead of meaningless press releases you sit down and engage in dialogue. The NFL Alumni do not want to participate in monetary negotiations. We just want you to work with our members for the benefits they need. If the Commissioner of Football can meet with us, why can’t you?”
–George Martin in open request to DeMaurice Smith at NFL Alumni press conference (2/4/10 – Newark Star-Ledger)
“They negotiated television contracts that will pay them money even if the games are not played. We know that they’ve re-negotiated some assistant coaches’ contracts to envision a lockout.”
– NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith (2/4/10, press conference)
“It is hardly the first time that a television contract has had that type of provision in it. That goes back in my experience at least to the early 1980’s. More to the point, it is nothing more than a financing mechanism. The networks aren’t going to hand over large amounts of money to us, and if they don’t get a product [in return] tell us to go ahead and keep that money. We will have to give it back to them and take reductions about what we get from them for future years. It is no different than borrowing on a home equity line. You still have to pay it back.”
– NFL executive vice president of labor/league counsel Jeff Pash (2/4/10)
“The real core message here is that we all want to get a fair agreement, for the players, for the owners, to allow the game to continue to grow. There are conversations going on, that’s a positive step. But we’re all frustrated there’s not more progress.”
– Commissioner Roger Goodell (NFL Network, 1/31/10)
“We’re all way overpaid.”
– New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (1/26/10 – Boston Herald)
“[An NFL player] is a blue-collar worker whose average life span on the field is less than four years…our fans identify with that. They understand punching a clock every day.”
- – NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith (1/19/10 – Chicago Sun-Times)
“If I’m able to get off of minimum wage, I will definitely take my family out to all the home games, and I know they’ll be happy about that.
– Arizona Cardinals defensive end Darnell Dockett (11/26/09 – Arizona Republic)
“We’d rather have money going to retired players and veteran players as opposed to unproven rookies. I’m frustrated; March 1 is coming pretty quickly.”
– New York Giants president John Mara (1/20/10 — New York Times)
“The market has been gutted from not only a large number of players being unrestricted, but some high quality players. There is the Final Eight Plan … taking 25 percent of the teams and having them not participating totally in free agency.”
– Player agent Tom Condon (1/26/10 – AP)
“I believe that not having any experience in the business of football has been beneficial.”
– NFLPA spokesperson George Atallah (11/30/09 – New York Times website)
“I’m thinking about going back to school, and I tell all the guys they should do the same. ‘What job skills do I have right now?’ There’s guys with degrees from Harvard who are out of work in this economy.”
– Arizona Cardinals linebacker Karlos Dansby (9/8/09 – Yahoo)
“I think the fans will see a different system with no limit on the high end or the low end, and on what teams can spend. Each team will have to decide how they will operate.”
– Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay (1/26/10 – AP)
“You look at March of next year, which would begin the lockout year.”
– NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith (1/28/10 — WFAN)
“We want Congress to know that management is pushing us toward a lockout.”
– Tennessee Titans center and NFLPA president Kevin Mawae (1/20/10 – AP)
“Who has been talking about a lockout, the NFL or the NFLPA? The owners have expressed nothing publicly other than a desire to do a fair deal; the union has repeatedly proclaimed that a lockout is coming.”
– Pro Football Talk (2/1/10)
“Why don’t we get to the point where we’re actually negotiating instead of just talking in the press?”
– NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith (9/7/09-AOL Fanhouse)
“The NFLPA is not discussing the CBA negotiations in an effort to maintain the integrity of the talks.”
– NFLPA spokesperson George Atallah (11/9/09-Sports Business Journal)
“We’re not going to give them the shirts off our backs and not get something in return.”
– Titans C and NFLPA president Kevin Mawae (1/10/10 – The Tennessean)
“When you get that first check, you want things, lots of things. The owners want us to think, that we gotta have all this stuff. That makes us desperate and we can’t be desperate.”
– Chargers LB Shawne Merriman (9/8/09 – Yahoo)
“Individual owners and teams have spent exactly nothing on retired player benefits.”
– NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith (1/15/10 – Sports Business Journal)
“The simple fact of the matter is that all retirement funds–for both active and retired players — comes from the money allocated to active players under the league’s salary cap of 60 percent of NFL revenue. In 2008 this amounted to $23 million per team, or $736 million… As the union boss he should at least understand where the money comes from.”
– Michael Ozanian (1/22/10 — Forbes.com)
“There are a lot of unknowns in an uncapped year.”
– Raiders DE Richard Seymour (11/13/09 — USA Today)
“Is [the uncapped season] challenging? Absolutely, because there’s really no precedent for it. It’s different than any other year. Even before when there was no (salary) cap you didn’t have the free agency.”
– Patriots head coach Bill Belichick (1/13/10 – Boston Herald)
“We have two plans, A and B. We’ve done both. We’re comfortable with however it plays out. There are facets of the uncapped year that are designed to make it difficult for both parties in that environment.”
– Indianapolis Colts president Bill Polian (1/7/10 — Indianapolis Star)
“I don’t think we’re making any progress. We made a proposal in early November. I don’t think we’ve received a meaningful counterproposal. The point that we try to make to them is that the costs and risks are much greater than they ever have been. Especially in this economy. I don’t think there has been enough of a recognition on their part of that concept. They want a deal that is equal to or better than the existing one and that is not acceptable to us.”
– New York Giants president John Mara (1/20/10 — New York Times)
“What we’re trying to accomplish here is to have an economic system … that will allow us to look back 15 years from now and say that we, meaning the clubs and the players, were creative and thoughtful and laid the groundwork for the game to continue to grow.”
– NFL executive VP and chief counsel Jeff Pash (1/26/10 – AP)
“If you take a close look at just how powerful the NFL has become, a big part of it is having sustained labor peace. It’s enabled sponsors and others to get behind them. It’s enabled TV partners to plan around them without having to worry about an interruption. If you have a stable labor force and you’re able to distribute your product with no interruption, you have a real chance to build your business. That’s what the NFL has had. But that could be threatened.”
– David Carter, Sports Business Group (1/31/10 — Washington Post)
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