The NFL owners have voted 31-0 (Al Davis of the Raiders abstained) to ratify the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. This is a step in the process towards lifting the lockout, but it won’t happen until the players ratify the same deal. The ball is now in the player’s court to agree to the proposed CBA. The deal is supposed to last for 10 years and it is contingent on the player’s union re-certifying.
I’m personally still skeptical of all this. This is the first proposed deal that’s been put on the table, and the owners accepted it unanimously. Am I to believe the players are just going to sign on the doted line? I just really question if this is going to get done the first go around. I’m less worried about NFLPA becoming an entity again and I’m much more worried about the players being unhappy about other elements of the proposed deal.
That said, the NFL has no officially lost some serious cash. The Hall of Fame game is now canceled, and that means the game revenue stream and network ratings have taken it’s first hit. Is it a devastating blow? Of course not, not by any means. But each day that passes will now threaten more and more money. The problem has now officially affected people’s wallets, which means panic will set in.
The players are scheduled to have a conference call in minutes so we may soon find out if they vote for or against this new CBA. If the players agree to the offer extended, there’s a chance the lockout could be lifted TONIGHT.
Stay tuned…
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