What the heck were the owners thinking?
Jul 23, 2011, 10:47 AM
By Mike Salk
What the heck were the NFL owners doing on Thursday? They not only tried to strong-arm the players, break the union for the future and maybe even sneak in some extra benefits, they may have destroyed much of the goodwill that the sides had built up in the past few weeks.
The problem is, these two sides need to work together when this is done. It isn’t some typical M&A deal where one side can happily conquer and leave the loser in ruins. These two need each other, unless the owners think they themselves are going to go out and play some football…ah, I don’t think so.
Commissioner Roger Goodell should come out and apologize for the way things were handled. Do it publicly, so the players don’t think he was the one trying to take advantage of them. He should allow them to take their time with the vote, read every bit of the fine print, and make an informed decision on a deal that will last ten years.
It’s also a good thing I’m not the head of the players association like De’Maurice Smith. I would have watched as the owners voted on their “ratification,” which was really just a proposal, and done exactly the same thing only using the language with which I felt comfortable. Then I would have tld the media that the players had also ratified a CBA and demanded the owners sign that version by Tuesday.
As I said, it’s a good thing I’m not playing point for the players because I would have been furious and would have lashed back out. What Smith needs to do is keep his cool, read the documents, and get thing settled ASAP.
