Roger & You: Chatting with the Commish

Earlier today Roger Goodell waded through some of the 6,000 questions that were submitted for his pre-season chat on NFL.com.  Among the surprises, it turns out that the commissioner “can’t wait” for the beginning of the season and thinks that “its important to recognize the tradition and history of our game.”  But he take on a number of good questions concerning the CBA.  Here are the relevant answers:

Extended Schedule. When will there be less pre season games & more regular season games?

Goodell:  [A]s you may know, we have discussed restructuring our 20-game season from its current format of 4 preseason games and 16 regular-season games to possibly 18 regular-season and 2 preseason games. I’ve heard consistently from NFL fans that they don’t believe the preseason games are up to NFL standards. I agree. We are discussing changing this with our partners, including the players.

State of the CBA Negotiations. Hello,Commissioner Goodell! What can you tell me about the current labor situation and when will the players and owners meet again for negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement? Like many other big NFL fans,I hope there’s football in 2011 and beyond.Thank you very much!

Goodell: [W]e just started a formal negotiation with the NFLPA this past summer. We have a lot of work to do, but we recognize we need to get the CBA negotiated in a way that will allow our game to continue to grow.  We don’t want to stop football from being played and are hopeful that negotiations will result in bringing you more football.

Rookie Salary Cap. Commissioner, how important do you think it is to implement a rookie wage scale?

Goodell: I have been on record as saying the rookie wage scale is good for veteran players and the game. Money should go to the players who have proven their success on the NFL field. I expect this will be one of the issues that will be addressed in the CBA.

Commish’s Goals. As Commissioner, what are your top 3 business objectives for the NFL master franchise over the course of the next 5-10 years?

Goodell: Our focus will be continuing to have 32 strong teams with a new CBA that works for both players and owners and continues to grow the game. Additionally, we hope to find new and innovative ways to bring more football to our fans, including on new technology like we’re doing with the RedZone this season.

Suspensions. How do you go about deciding the length of a players suspension? What is the process that u go through[?]

Goodell: [T]his is an important part of my job, but fortunately a small part of it. The first step is to make sure you understand all the facts and provide each individual player with due process, including a full hearing. You want everyone in the NFL to understand the standards and privilege of being part of the NFL. If we engage in mistakes that reflect poorly on the NFL shield, there must be consequences consistently applied. We see positive signs that this is having an impact in reduced incidents.

End of the Salary Cap: Commissioner, could you explain what would happen in an uncapped year? Thanks.

Goodell: [T]here are a number of rules in place if we move into an uncapped year for the 2010 season. For example, eligibility for free agency would go from four years to six years, there are restrictions on the final eight playoff teams signing free agents, and each team gets an additional transitional tag along with a franchise tag. The rules during an uncapped year are designed to keep our competitive balance. The clubs are prepared for this outcome and I don’t think it will affect the quality of the game on the field.

Advice for the Commish?: There is no handbook to follow on how to be a comissioner, so what person/persons and/or things help guide you in your daily decisions?

Goodell: [Y]ou’re right — there is no handbook. You are faced with a variety of issues and challenges. My best advice is that you get all the facts by talking to a wide range of people. You can never think you have all the answers and normally your decisions will result in a number of people who disgree with you. You just try to do what you think is right for the game regardless of the consequences.

Development of Future NFL Players: With the closure of NFL Europe and the collapse of the Arena League, it seems like there is a large void in the development of players that don’t fill the immediate need of the current 53 man roster. Is the NFL looking into expanding the practice squads or developing a development league like the NBA?

Goodell: As part of our discussions on a restructured season, we have discussed offseason training, the possibility of a developmental league and additional roster positions, including practice squad. The development of players, coaches and officials will be important as we continue to grow the league.

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It was a good chat.  Kudos to the commish for taking the time to answer the questions.  Hopefully the NFLPA will go on the record in a similar sort of chat.

Filed under: extended schedule, personal conduct policy, restricted free agency, Roger Goodell, rookie salary cap, salary cap, chats

Two NFL CBA Vets Draw Battle Lines

No, that’s not Mark Murphy & Doug Allen. But you get the idea. (copyright bret_libendorfer)

Sports Business Journal asked four veterans of the sports labor wars to share their thoughts on the state of labor relations in the NFL, NBA, and MLB.  For the NFL, Mark Murphy, president and CEO of the Green Bay Packers, lays out the owners’ and league’s case.  For the NFLPA, former assistant executive director of the NFLPA, Doug Allen sets the stage for the players’ positions.

Murphy’s arguments and issues (NFL):

• player salaries/costs are rising faster than revenues;
• NFLPA already has access to as much NFL financial data as needed to understand the business;
• owners need authority to recoup bonus money for suspended players;
• wants a rookie salary cap;
• ending NFLPA litigation against CBA-agreed anti-doping policy.

Allen’s points (former NFLPA):

• re-dedicate to growing the business of football together;
• owners need to work out revenue sharing; not cap salaries at the level a small market team can afford;
• players need to prepare to “decertify” the union and sue on antitrust grounds if owners attempt to restrict player movement.

My quick thoughts on this are: (1) Murphy’s pitch as a former NFLPA player rep to soothe the fears of the players is misplaced and a bit insulting–he’s switched sides; (2) the argument that salaries are rising faster than revenues is specious due to the salary cap and the probability that salaries are held lower than an open market would bear; (3) Allen is 20-year veteran of the NFLPA and likely has a bunker mentality from living through the previous negotiations; (4) that said, decertification is a real possibility (see NFLPA website).

There’s a lot more to be said about decertification and whether modern antitrust law would actually even be helpful to the union.  For another post.  But quickly, if the union “decertifies,” the league would no longer be protected by the non-statutory exemption to the antitrust laws, and thus would be subject to those laws.  Right now, the NFL is protected from an antitrust suit by the union because of the collective bargaining agreement it has entered into with the NFLPA, which was certified by the National Labor Relations Board.  The 1993 CBA gave the players the right to decertify and challenge the league’s salary cap, the draft, and free agency under the antitrust laws. More here.

Filed under: anti-doping policy, antitrust, NFL revenue, NFLPA, NFLPA Player Representatives, player contracts, restricted free agency, rookie salary cap, salary cap, Doug Allen, Green Bay Packers, Mark Murphy

Uncapped 2010 Season Leads to 6-Year Restricted Free Agency

Kansas City Chiefs sports writer Bob Gretz wrote up DeMaurice Smith’s visit to Chiefs training camp.  Looks like he didn’t get to address the full team, but the NFLPA has made it to about 27 camps so far to keep the players on board with the CBA negotiations.  Here’s Gretz’s discussion of what will happen if an agreement isn’t reached by the end of the 2010 season:

What’s ahead if a new agreement is not reached is a 2010 season without a salary cap, and possibly an owner’s lockout in 2011. Smith has said there will be no strike by the union, that if football comes to a halt it will be a decision made by the owners.

First is that uncapped season next year. If that happens, it will also create many new rules for players, pushing unrestricted free agency from four years in the league to six years. That affects a number of players, including ILB Derrick Johnson who is in the final year of his rookie contract. This is Johnson’s fifth NFL season. Under the old rules with a salary cap, he could become an unrestricted free agent after this season. But without the salary cap, the new rules say he could become a restricted free agent.

In the 2009 off-season, no restricted free agents changed teams

Filed under: NFLPA, restricted free agency, salary cap, Bob Gretz, DeMaurice Smith, Derrick Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs