We have reached the one-week mark of the NFL lockout. The past week has been full of talking. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has issued a letter to the players pleading a return to the negotiation table through mediation. The NFLPA* (no longer a union, now a trade association that has no power in collective bargaining) has players and onetime union rep DeMaurice Smith talking about league lies.
Smith has said all along that the league was planning on locking out the players, going on two years, citing a document that was intended to be kept in the dark.
One of the sticking points for the NFLPA has been showing financial documentation giving proof that the owners needed more of the revenue pie. The league claims they provided five years of audited financials showing both league and team profits, something they do not even give to the teams.
The players dispute this fact and feel that the owners were trying to force the players into agreeing to as Smith called "the worst deal ever in professional sports" and avoid decertification by making the offer near the deadline the players had to file their action in court.
Now we must sit and wait for April 6 and the injunction hearing to know whether the lockout will continue or not. Negotiations are not likely to start again without a ruling. The league has said many times it is ready and willing to go again. We will have to wait and see.
In the meantime, teams cut pay and no personnel moves can happen. All that will occur Is the draft next month. For everyone's sake, hopefully this is resolved sooner rather than later.