Players Refuse to Vote On Deal: A Season Remains in Limbo

What is this drama standing before us, a sort of apocalypse, or maybe even a crisis as horrifying as a dreaded recession we are witnessing? With the nation in shambles, a nation in an economic climate that seems incurable, a nation endangered by the ever changeable economy, the NFL is mired in disarray of its own.

If the problem is backlash over salaries from greedy and envious owners, then the prolonged disaster is coming from the stinginess of owners and players who have more common sense and intelligence than the franchise chairmen needy for additional money. The madness of a long-suffering stalemate, with so much egotism and selfishness cast on the richest enterprise that people nationwide suddenly stops in disbelief as much promise seem necessary after the owners on Thursday approved a 10-year collective bargaining agreement and announced plans for a figurative end of the lockout.

At this rate, when players decided to take a stance and manipulate the new CBA, pending until the players are unanimously ready to end the rift over profit, the players had no intent Friday to vote on the proposal team owners gave approval on. And it was nearly the remedy to virtually restore hopefulness and terminate the longest standoff in NFL history. The last thing the NFL needs, with so many angry fans already furious and outraged, is a missed season because of historically the worst lockout ever to paint a portrait of misery in an eventful league.

Amazingly, the players aren't allowing the league to push or bully them around, standing before the NFL, not afraid of a disoriented standstill ruining a 16-game season. The image of the owners, if you must, is an understanding of greed and a rash of torment. If the loyalists are studious enough to conceive that the owners bullied and tried convincing the general public in believing each owner's theory, then all individuals know NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is just as much at fault.

It was an offseason of nightmares for the organization and players, punctuated by the pending labor disputes. This was Goodell choosing his legacy instead of protecting the richest league from corruption. The deal will be finalized, and almost undoubtedly soon, for which there is too much money at stake for both parties. Without a full season -- Goodell would not only diminish his legacy but would also be labeled as a saboteur for such havoc -- it ultimately could damage his reputation as the commissioner who has been a pushover and overpowered by the players as well as the NFLPA.

It's a jarring look at a head honcho, once the world's most powerful man at the throne, whose lack of strong conviction and leniency transformed the landscape of professional sports. It wasn't until now, during the lockout, that he was communicative and steadfast in lifting the lockout as the season looms ever so quickly with disgruntled players ready to begin workouts and, sooner than later, report to mandatory meetings and training camps.

With the NFL labor troubles hovering over Goodell and the players, we finally have a clear understanding that this is the exemplification of skepticism many players have of Goodell and the owners. The lockout has been chaotic and a nuisance, a four-month affair of insanity in regards to manlike hubris as both sides sought ego and shares of a billion-dollar revenue. Neither side has reached a unanimous decision to resolve the widespread delirium nationwide.

The everlasting fray is rampant these days, with many furious fans begging for a football season by fall, ready to support their dearest team. That is, until the players ratify the deal to avoid the demise of the most popular sporting league. For a moment, it almost looked like the NFL and players had cured any differences or even animosity in a feud that was nearly as laughable as chuckling at Adam Sandler quarterbacking a football team of inmates from prison.

This is, at the very least, a dreadful lockout directly aiming towards a national turning point and a demolition. The hypocrisy takes a major twist in a league that remains in limbo, not exactly knowing the state of the latest progress made in approving the new collective bargaining agreement. There is NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith, who has represented and reinforced active players currently in the league in a temporarily decertified union, coinciding with the players after rejecting the latest deal presented.

If a deal is ever done, sooner rather than later, the players are required to recertify as a union to officially discontinue the impasse. Until then, the sight of a new deal is unlikely. More to the point, players have to recertify for the NFL to install substantial terms of the deal like a policy specifically regarding drugs or even disciplinary principles. The winners in such a tussle are the players, refusing to vote and leaving the sport in uncertainty.

This clearly tells us there's more work to be done, certainly when malcontent owners and players aren't compromising on much of the negotiations as the negatives still unfolds with preseason and the regular season quickly approaching. The four-months of unpredictability of an eternal lockout that lingers is the first work stoppage since 1987. With that being said, the exhibition opener was canceled -- the Aug. 7 Hall of Fame game with Chicago and St. Louis scheduled to play in Canton, Ohio.

The owners, as businessmen are trying to restore the league and inherit profit based on a full season, approved a tentative agreement Thursday that would lift the lockout, imploring that players renew their union and sign off on the proposal. Although it was a shady deal and the players weren't going to buy into it and make sure to read before they even vote on it. Further proving the selfishness of the owners.

Above all, the lockout is lurching to a closure, simply because the players and owners are reacting as if they are adamant, at least better than a few months ago when all labor talks seemed unreal. The deal is relatively close to getting done, but many are unable to break off the dilemma of likely a missed season. At around dinner time a few days ago, owners voted 31-0 to approve the deal, except for the Oakland Raiders, a troubling franchise with a sullied owner in Al Davis, who abstained to authorize the deal. Shortly after, a statement had been released from the league to announce that the NFL ratified the settlement.

It read: "NFL clubs approved today the terms of a comprehensive settlement of litigation and a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Players Association."

But then, the circus of a long-lasting monstrosity lasted when NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith sent an email to team reps that read: "Issues that need to be collectively bargained remain open; other issues, such as workers' compensation, economic issues and end of deal terms, remain unresolved. There is no agreement between the NFL and the players at this time."

The players held a conference call and opted not to vote, acknowledging they never seen the full proposal approved by owners. There is one person optimistic about a deal being finalized and it just so happens to be Goodell, when it all seemingly appears that the deal is fair for both sides to end the disruption. Much of the framework of the new CBA, if it ever is approved, is valid for 10 years without any opt-out, an agreement designed for players and owners in the long term. But it all comes down to the players, eventually passing a proposal the players haven't employed.

There is still next week for the players to approve or either counter the deal without missing the beginning of football season. At this moment, players aren't giving in but the shrewd owners certainly thought they'd have fallen for the tricks thrown at them instantly. If the owner’s plans are to victimize and deceive the players, they've forgotten the damage Goodell created during his reign as commissioner.

For one, he's blundered on a series of mistakes that can rationally be from his ego trip and dumbfounded reactions. For another, he is scorned by many players in the league, turning their backs on him and uttering cruel remarks angry with Goodell after losing much regards as the leader. As it stands, the players are true leaders and have bonded together, showing solidarity to send a strong message.

It's now the moment for the NFL to heal from all the sorrow, following over 100 days of troublesome standoffs that earned the loudness of the crowd nationally. It's easily knowledgeable never to fault the players, pulling off a surprising maneuver protecting themselves.

In other words, the players have discussed that they were risking lives for less profit in short-term salary as greedy, stubborn owners watched in suites and increased their revenue. If the NFL wants to keep fans, they need to protect the league from mayhem.

Is NFL Lifting Lockout? It Will Dwarf the Hassle

If we're nauseous or paranoid over the deranged discussions for which the NFL is having, amid the 124th day of the draining lockout that the league encountered, now we can finally breathe in relief as a deal on the collective bargaining agreement appears imminent on both sides.

Why wouldn't both parties want to come back, save the league from itself, preserve a share in revenue, and lastly, appease a delirious crowd so fond of football, a game everybody adores as one of the most delightful events in America? It's entirely possible for the league and players to reach an agreement by Tuesday when both sides made progress towards ending the maelstrom from a lockout that almost lingered into the 16-game season.

If so, this would save minicamps, workouts and training camps of being postponed, but more importantly, it would save preseason in time as exhibition play looms ever so quickly. By now, to simply describe it, any enterprise is the tenet of politics or even a business intending to profit roughly on consistent revenue that predicates greed and ego in an industry populace anoints gracefully.

It's worth the time, perhaps a suitable moment when the season is in jeopardy, to acknowledge that fans spend religiously to witness the intense drama of football -- if you will -- whether the individual is a ticket buyer, an alcoholic in and out of local bars or even a couch potato who subscribes to NFL Sunday Ticket exclusively on DirecTV. The audiences of the NFL, in the meantime, occupy their heart and soul by investing money and endorsing football greatly with much interest devoted to their beloved franchises.

With both parties willing to compromise and increasingly enlarge optimism, in mostly the NFL's longest labor standoff, the owners appear ready to attempt to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement and end a four-month stalemate. What is the latest development is that the NFL is on the verge of lifting out of the lockout. And yet the vibes better reveals that the NFL is on the brink of a settlement as fall looms in time to salvage football.

The hardest part is realizing that the lockout is from a rift over a lack of profit and split revenues, which is absurd when owners and players are wealthy in an age where football alone has transformed into our habitude. The fame is one thing, but the dollars are another, earned from greedy owners pampering their superstars with huge paychecks for wearing a uniform, selling tickets, boosting earnings and rightfully committing their lives to a contact sport of violence and vehemence.

The point is, the glaring images of this week have not been so ugly for a pair of parties, infallibly wrangling and negotiating about salaries. The point is, the two parties are willing to compromise and terminate the labor wars when exasperated fans can elude the hullabaloo no football fan enjoyed this offseason.

If nothing else, folks were biting their nails, perturbed and worried to death, curious to know whether or not there would be an NFL season in time for the fall. It was almost laughable that two parties couldn't reach a unanimous decision, demanding weeks to finally even come close to a deal. When all is said and done, with all the damage from the football stoppage ruining much of its reputation, the league's 32 franchises won't miss training camps and contract discussions.

At the end of this long-lasting disaster, a slew of adjustments would be implemented with the NFL on the path of consideration from the frequent concussions that players sustain each season. The NFL, on the other hand, is ready to enforce safety with fewer harder hits, limited helmet-to-helmet collisions and more protection and benefits for retirees.

If not inevitable, which all of this seems reasonable for a league with perilous hits that can be harmful to athletes, the fines for illegal hits could be harsher and suspensions could be steeper. The new collective bargaining agreement, ladies and gentleman, is instrumental and pragmatic. At last, the two sides are close and the new CBA will transform the landscape of the NFL and will change the culture of football to mitigate much of the violence and enforce legal hits.

The concept we fail to realize in an industry's growth is the acerbic element of capitalism in which one side is normally greedier than the other side, begging for all the credit within the enterprise as one party isn't too satisfied with the outcome. All of this missed action has delayed all the rookies, and it often requires even more time for rookies to adjust and adapt to the playbook or pro-style tactics.

The logic is, after valiantly berating the few lawbreakers this offseason, that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell would be fully capable of punishing the likes of DeSean Jackson, Aqib Talib and Kenny Britt for their misdeeds during the NFL-imposed standstill. As for angst created by the leisure time from the historic lockout, with much on hold until the two sides reached an agreement on a settlement, Talib wasn't on his best behavior and allegedly swung a pistol at a man.

If Goodell is the NFL Sheriff, as advertised, he'd impose a punishment to Hines Ward for his recent DUI arrest and hit James Harrison with a severe fine for his stupidity and lack of character, uttering homophobic slurs earlier this week. From the positive point of view, the lockout is almost over -- if you believe it -- with the anticipation that owners will ratify a new agreement when the parties meet next Thursday in Atlanta.

It was an unprecedented lockout, but as it stands, the two parties have made powerful strides on several issues, including one of the removals of one of the roadblocks to the new collective bargaining agreement -- finally successful in finalizing the rookie salary scale system. That means the wage scale includes a fifth-year option in the contracts of players selected in the top 10 overall in the NFL Draft. It certainly is true that the NFL and players have reached a tentative agreement at $120 million for 2011, in addition to $21 million in benefits, according to sources.

The cultural business is fast-approaching a new era -- a contract that would, in fairness, benefit the owners and players in many ways, no longer undermining the integrity of a likable sporting league. As such, it is reportedly known that the sides figured out how to divide $9 billion in revenue, after all, more shrewd and considerate. In a few days, under a theory that both sides almost reached a full agreement, NFLPA executive leader DeMaurice Smith is expected to speak with Goodell presumably in person.

Near the end of an ugly fuss heard publicly, owners and players, although the parties are somewhat malcontent but tired of the long-lasting drama, have inched closer finishing a round of intensive talks Friday. It took eight hours of negotiations in New York, determined to play football next season.

To be clear, there'll be an NFL season come fall.

NFL Labor Talks Are a Work In Progress

We may be reaching the point where players have actually been briefed on lockout discussions. Because it's slightly shocking, considering it is the fourth month since the ugliness has turned chaotic and hopeless, if not conceivable, there are folks shortsighted by the latest news of players being updated on the lockout status.

But in this case of oblivious folks, imploring for an NFL season next fall as the people in America are paranoid and have deeply worshipped the sport, it's sensible to fathom that football is the symbol of the one nation with a crazed for a hallowed event. Until all of this is resolved, even with a sign of relief after the executive director of NFLPA DeMaurice Smith spoke to players this past week on the current labor developments, then we can find solace in a nation where the population is already captivated with the game's place.


In all of this, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has fallen from grace to dismantle an image in tatters, once lacking care and responsibility for protecting the richest enterprise in sports. He has this egotistic, selfish demeanor about him that gave us a sense of belief as of which he was more focused on protecting his legacy, not the game everybody is enthusiastic in watching annually each season. Each time, he surely was in denial and couldn't handle the truth, as the NFL gradually toppled.

Even though in all honesty, as someone who is stubborn-minded just as much as he used to be unforbearing and demanding in a sense that he constituted a tougher, personal conduct policy to discipline players for their poor judgment, Goodell has not been aggressive in putting an end to the labor disputes. The theory has been utterly perplexing, but what has been a work in progress, is the pleasant vision for reviving the NFL of Smith's effort to speak to players.

The assumption is that by offering promise, although he never offered details or a timetable and seemed vague in the midst of the uncertainty lingering, a deal could be two or three weeks away on getting a new collective bargaining agreement. Whether the consensus of the two parties is finally gathering an understanding to slowly put an untidy rift to rest, it still remains uncertain if the lockout is truly over or not.

The hurried goad is that by making progress, communicating maturely and paying dividends when the two parties were fussing over money from maybe the burden of an impaired recession, a reaction of compromising could save the league from a long-suffering standoff, leading to an NFL season and no further tumult. Much of this happened because of stupidity and greed, much of this happened because of selfishness and egotism and much of this happened because the NFL allowed it.

"We're definitely optimistic we're moving in the right direction," Buffalo player George Wilson told the Associated Press. "Right now we feel like we're having meaningful discussions. ... We feel we have the right people in the room, discussing the right things and both sides want to get a deal done. But even though we're moving in the right direction, we're not there yet."

No, you're not there yet.

What's more staggering is when New England owner Robert Craft, a businessman who never agreed with a few proposals and worried about the economy paralyzing, is that he actually is optimistic and even acknowledged the recent progress. That could be, however, an indicator for restoration within the richest sporting league in existence. It's a fact as if the NFL is ready to plot the framework of a deal, which could be finalized very, very soon.

But if this deal has any chance of getting done, owners would have to compromise by allowing players to earn 48 percent of all revenue, according to reports. Furthermore, they've never received less than 50 percent, and requested for 50 percent of revenues in this latest deal. It's so true, from our understanding, that this is the threshold of a turning point financially in 100 days amidst a grisly lockout, as heavy talks are occurring more frequently and aggressively, aiming to give the fans football by next fall.

The reality was that many of the owners had been at the 42- and 44-percent level for much of the lockout, not too sure what the future had in store for a league in bedlam. And finally, Goodell and the owners accepted the players' plea. The players aren't settling for a percentage lower than 48 percent to force the players in taking $4.7 billion this year.

If so, it would be less than what players earned in salaries and benefits, dating back to 2009, but the players are content to accept a smaller percentage and potentially a $120 million salary cap. The doomsday of troubles, overwhelmingly impossible as the two sides are close to completing a deal to halt all the noise heard for months, could easily cripple an entire season if a deal isn't official by no later than August.

And if that were to happen, preseason football is ravaged definitely, if not much of the 16-game season, but the dedication from owners and the communication to players have more folks hopeful of an NFL season next fall. But as the lockout descends, after players weren't reluctant to accept a lower percentage in future years, presumably as low at 46.5 percent, we can quickly foresee a season that looms. It's also worth noting that Smith has trust in Goodell, for once at the helm of such a tough position.

Not much, in the meantime, has been said from the 8th circuit, ruling over the lockout case, or even the court of Judge David Doty. It's rational to realize that the NFL isn't so stupid and foolish enough to lose out on money, and it's unlikely to withstand a lockout much longer when revenue seems to be the top priority.

In any event, after many fans are disgusted and distraught of the overcome of late, players, owners and the league is trying to reach the point where it loses on revenue and fan loyalty, as the supporters can threaten the game's popularity with all the resentment and bitterness.

"Look, someone asked me whether I was optimistic," Smith said. "I think we're both optimistic when we have the right people in the room. We know we're talking about the right issues and that we're working hard to get it done."

That means something good is bound, right?

With His Buffoonish Antics, Goodell Is Described as NFL Clown

Not much in life makes me cringe, unless a wacko in the parking-lot screams "AHHHHHH!" and almost damages my eardrums or a psychotic jerk gestures the middle finger while I'm driving my car and finally Donald Trump questioning the validity of President Obama's birth certificate.

But when the most insane week in the NFL looms because of a heinous lockout, a fatal stoppage wearing down the minds of fans and disgruntled players, it's another reason to cringe. So now, upon hearing the latest fuss on the outrageous episode that can undermine the image of the wealthiest enterprise in pro sports, we're engulfed by all the madness in the craziest and most preposterous corruption in NFL history. When a judge recently confirmed and ruled that the NFL lockout was lifted, a reaction to please the American population in which the vast majority worships football, it seems proper to finally express optimism.

Despite it all, even if a judge in Minnesota halted the 45-day lockout, temporarily allowing NFL players to return to the training facilities, nonetheless it's uncertain whether the 16-game regular season will resume by next fall. For all the weirdness heard by the anonymous buzz from meetings where two parties aren't unanimously resolving the issues, all the endless talk is delaying workouts and the possibility of football next season in the midst of labor battles.

For all the uncanny debates with the league's status in the upcoming weeks, such is the perceptibility of the league remaining in skepticism until the NFLPA and NFL ends the wishy-washy, back and forth jawing and announce that there will definitely be a manageable season as early as September, Goodell is facing atrocious circumstances.

What, did commissioner Roger Goodell perish?

Where he stands on this issue is a great question, when he hasn't even stepped forward to address the latest news, humiliating himself more as the person in command. Not sure why, but he's not the NFL Sheriff, not the sternest, meanest and intolerant commissioner we were once familiar with for installing his rigid personal conduct code generally for discipline, cracking down to significantly reduce senseless arrest of players being charged with crime.

Remember, he was the man who dressed professional and manipulated the NFL with a powerful voice. Remember, he was perfect, not imperfect and excelled in the hardest, stressful position. Under his wings, ever since he emerged onto the NFL setting, Goodell created harsh barriers all while the league's popularity ballooned based on viewers and the respectability for the one sport every tends to become attach with by all the action-packed and dramatic thrills.

So there is Goodell, who looks like the bigger fool for all his buffoonish decisions of late, crippled by his reaction in a major newspaper in regards to Nelson's ruling. In all, no doubt, he is in denial and embarrassed with the way things played out in the ugliest political war, an unprecedented lockout that ruined his legacy, if he ever validated his reputation as a commissioner. The point is, for the time being, is that he is failing in his regime and lost all credibility in the flux currently as the league is in disarray.

Though few believe this is the end to relatively a widespread disaster, as the NFL is clearly dumbfounded and relieved by federal district judge Susan Nelson's ruling Monday that temporarily lifted the lockout after ruling on an action filed by the plaintiffs in the Tom Brady antitrust lawsuit, it's not easy to downplay the current situation when Goodell childishly and foolishly was irresponsible. So we are supposed to feel sorry for a man, if we can, after he ripped and insulted the arbiter.

If you are looking for a reason to strongly dislike Goodell, the most villainous commissioner among all sports leagues excluding Vince McMahon, it's probably for the standoffs that he allowed to nearly rupture the NFL, it's probably because of his pompous behavior turning off the vast majority, people who are distraught with the likelihood of which there still may not be football played next season. For six weeks, a work stoppage in the National Football League generated heavy talk in attempt to seek negotiations for a new Collective-Bargaining Agreement with the players, but the two parties couldn't compromise and sadly wrangled over dollars adding horror within innocuous labor disputes.

The NFL, and its fan base, distrust in Goodell and has been reluctant to forgive him of his bungles, concerned with his ego and popularity rather than reforming the league by reaching a unanimous understanding on the new collective bargaining agreement. There is much to dislike about Goodell even more so now, particularly when he's lamented and needed to express sorrow by writing his inane letter in the Wall Street Journal. This was mildly disturbing and oppressive, whining like he is a jilted lover or saddened over an awful blind date.

Here's what he wrote: "Is this really what you want, baby? Don't you see, this is killing both of us! Come back to me, or I'll stick my head in the oven, and life will be ruined forever for everyone!"

The real story here is that the NFL is resuming business, finally. That incredibly widens fans' smiles as America can breathe relief. By now, in everything from players arriving at team facilities to preparing for workouts, if so, the NFL protects itself from mass destruction. If this is the beginning to another restoration, given the immediate decision that now allows the players to respond in a hearing on Wednesday, hopefully it's the end to the nightmarish lockout and erases the dreaded mistake, a propaganda stunt of drivel and nonsense.

His op-ed piece was unnecessary, hearing something like this: "For the love of God, help us! The big, mean U.S. district court judge and the even bigger, meaner players' union lawyers are going to ruin the NFL! We'll have -- Gasp! -- a free-market system!"

So he doesn't realize that he is partially the scapegoat marred by doomsday??

I guess that is a "no!"

It just so turns out, as the NFL Draft looms ever so closer in New York at the Radio City Hall, that Goodell and the owners are incensed with the judge's ruling for the players and ending the NFL-imposed lockout Monday, forcing the owners to instantly move the case to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Maybe he should quit his day job and send his resume to a newspaper for a journalism job as he wrote:

"For six weeks, there has been a work stoppage in the National Football League as the league has sought to negotiate a new collective-bargaining agreement with the players. But Judge Nelson ordered the end of the stoppage and recognized the players' right to dissolve their union. By blessing this negotiating tactic, the decision may endanger one of the most popular and successful sports leagues in history."

For weeks now, the fans, including the owners and players with tension inflaming badly, had been witnessing a work stoppage, albeit the NFL announced its calendar for the 2011 season. If so, gathering at the team headquarters is feasible, free-agent signings can resume, trades can be improvised, players can be released, and lastly, players can report to minicamps and training camps during the offseason.

Let us hope the NFL isn't stupid to cost themselves financially. Let us hope the owners are selfless in allowing a lingering work stoppage to endanger revenue and the league's reputation. Let us hope the players can put aside the greed, dismissing the discontent personalities that can revoke the labor issues over a new CBA in the upcoming weeks, hopefully.

We can only hope both sides reach a settlement eventually and unleash a new collective bargaining agreement. The best option for Goodell, marked for nearly ruining the NFL with his boneheaded and reckless choices, would be to resign with all the hypocrisy because of his stupidity and nonsense.

For now, the players' union is outplaying Goodell.

NFL Lockout Lurks as Clock Trickles to Midnight: Football in for Eternal Fight?

In this case, if ever there was a time that the NFL was sort of coincidental to an overwrought fairy tale, the labor war happens to be the parallel of a Cinderella sequel as the clock perpetually dwindles towards midnight when the 10 owners on the NFL management council executive committee and the NFL Players Association are not expected to reach a deal before the 11:59 ET deadline Thursday night.

When the clock strikes midnight, with a potential work stoppage looming to delay an entire season by next fall if the two parties cannot compromise and settle an ongoing fight, fans could be deprived of the most popular sport in America, uncertifies and litigates would be allowed to file an injunction to inhibit the owners from locking them out, as well as impel players to file an anti-trust suit against owners.

From the grand scheme of things, it's a real shame that the NFL is battered in a travesty, probably the worst disaster since the 1987 labor stoppage, probably the worst holocaust in sports when two parties ignites an apocalypse, an ordeal rarely beheld within the richest industry in sports. It would figure, for a major sports association after its survival through poor economic times and political wars, that the NFL was considerable enough to save itself from doomsday and recommence next season.

If so, before midnight, consider it a rebound to save a popular sport everybody raves about dearly in our nation, but from the way it stands, the NFL is close to a heinous lockout with the rhetoric of collective bargaining contract uproars. The sad thing is, as a nation watches worried and perplexed with the odds that a season might not exist this upcoming September, when the athletic men are ready and fidgety to return onto the turf, that this rift is over money.

Yes, the two sides are so silly, in which they are wrangling over money. It doesn't take long, hearing disgruntled players and sensitive owners argue over revenue, before it makes me cringe or sick to my stomach as we all should shake our heads in disbelief with the idiocy brainwashing the minds of petulant owners and even the lethargic NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. It's fair for the masses to point fingers at the commish, when he seemingly doesn't care enough to resolve a heart shattering juncture, undermining the spotless image of the NFL.

The nonsense has a large impact on the status of professional football in the near future, killing the heart and soul of advocates in support of the watchful event each season. It's never compelling when a lockout is impending, but it's very mind-blowing that owners are requesting more money than players, athletes the chairmen employ to enrich their organizations.

The latest tableau exposes just how bad the priorities are in the NFL, just how bad the league merely desires the earnings, besides satisfying a large fan base globally. It happens so often that the NFL is suddenly such a powerless business, a testament for which the league no longer has a standard for, unwilling to reshape expediency over money issues. That certainly won't happen really soon in the NFL, not until the two sides approach the matter, be more pragmatic to put a fight to rest and decide to orchestrate a convenient deal.

It seems that simple, right?

Well, apparently not for the owners or the NFL Players Association.

All of this week, thus seven current sessions brought little progress to end a level of distress in a period hardly anybody anticipated to arrive, there has been plenty of meetings with a federal mediator.

The worst-case scenario is, if there is a lockout on the way to threatening the players, that offseason workouts and minicamps will be withheld for an immeasurable standstill. For that matter, meanwhile, if this stoppage last longer than usual or forever, maybe just forever, at the rate of two sides unable to solve their disagreements before deadline, it jeopardizes training camp and preseason. All of this petrifies America, I would assume, being that football is the primary symbol in our sports society, the one sport event culturally adored with scenes of extreme action, drama, emotion and upsets.

Say Goodbye, football. Say adios, football. That is, only if there's not an agreement before midnight.

Imagine.

Seems we are witnessing a fairy tale, without the glass slipper, pumpkin, mice and fairy godmother. On this particular subject, we are observing a hogwash story and it's comprised of owners and the NFL Players Association, the biggest complication disclosed publicly in ages. The farce has reached the point of which it can no longer be dismissed with the NFL being pulled in different directions, a flustering upheaval from week to week and it has led to a tragedy on the prelude for what can become a distasteful impasse.

What's next? Nobody knows.

It's just too much suspense for a situation that resembles a couple of hit drama shows, such as CSI or Criminal Minds, with the unknown of an unsettled, unsure status for a league that has yet found aspiration and the remedy to rescue the NFL from flaws. Hours away from a standoff, and all we hear on airwaves or iPods, when it relates to sports, is that the NFL has approached the dreaded likelihood of corruption.

That is, if the current collective bargaining agreement expires by midnight Eastern time without an extension, but prior to the deadline, the NFL Players Association plans on decertifying as a strategic effort to block a petulant lockout from owners. This is a risky thought for the NFL, even if we can watch reruns of Seinfeld or the Simpsons or tune in to see classic games on NFL Network. The unwillingness to pursue a new CBA deal is tellingly that the NFL alone could lose out on much profit, endure a painful season financially, from limited activities at venues to non-ticket sales to largely a lot of many jobs.

That's an issue that should speak far more than money, at least for owners already pocketing decent amount of money, while the economy gradually seeks a recovery and fans awaits other 16-game season to take our minds off the annoyance of Charlie Sheen or Lindsey Lohan, as football is a cure to humanity. Even DeMaurice Smith, who as the NFLPA director in these crucial times, has done fairly a terrific job negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement with NFL owners, but no one has compromised.

Today, on the final day that is, both sides attempt to save the league, now on the verge of serious trouble. If nothing is settled before midnight, Drew Brees can stand up for the union and be a quarterback even away from the field, an intelligent voice for the players' union. Or else, he'll probably end up on the golf course during a stoppage, depending on the length and infamous deal. He was the emotional leader many of nights on the field, and called for solidarity in a game against the Vikings last season when he and Saints players stepped onto the field and pointed their fingers skyward.

Right now, though, the NFL is nearly close to a lockout. The talk of NFL owners unwilling to deal with federal judge David Doty is what each party tends to agree on, following Doty's ruling Tuesday that rejected the owners capacity to receive "lockout insurance" for advanced payments on the NFL television contracts. In the end, of course, if owners refuse to order that current players won't be able to appear on NFL Network's airwaves during a work stoppage, the union will try it's very best to halt interviews from materializing. As for broadcast partners, it's likely that the union will urge players from appearing on television, but in reality, it may not happen.

No later than 5 p.m., the NFLPA is expected to file paperwork with the National Labor Relations Board in an attempt to decertify the union, which seems like a sham to the NFL after filing paperwork with the NLRB.

If there's a nightmarish ending to a fairy tale by midnight, Goodell will be accused of fallacies and inadequacies, described as the meanest villain.

NFL Clouded in Hysteria, Insanity by Virtue of Dollars

Let's all hold hands and pray together on the discussion of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) and hope for the very best, a positive outcome. The NFL and its league is one of the richest enterprises in the expensive sports industry, a profitable profession in which team and players prosper by getting richer annually as owners attempt to lock out these great athletes.

All of this makes the average fan cringe, worried about the unknown status of football in the NFL, curious to know if the sport can be saved in time for the start of the regular-season. The corruption looms ever so quickly, if ever, the worst plight to create dreaded tumultuous, a modern era battered in poor economic times, a scary recession that bruise America's identity, tortures the everyday workers as unemployment rates continue to rise to an all-time high.

So here are labor negotiators in the middle of a tussle over money, the least expected worry for a professional athlete of the NFL or their owners pocketing huge bucks, when other parts of the world are fighting for their lives or the next meal. The first thing we need to know, as America citizens worshipping the lovable sport of football, one that our citizens adore each season for the fun it exposes, is that we'll have a lockout by next season all because of stupidity and greediness.

That alone, takes away from the emotions of football, but even more importantly, it slaughters the integrity with its rampant contract disputes whenever someone is disgruntled in a fuss immensely over money. It sounds like two women fighting over the same man in a jilted relationship, infatuated over the dude to a point where it provokes ugliest, a similar dilemma in the NFL today, easily ridiculed for the inability of two parties to negotiate.

Has it ever dawn upon NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, an intolerant and enforcer when he acted like the NFL Sheriff, that the richest league is now smeared in shambles, no longer a business with much regard or credibility? As of recently, the federal mediator overseeing the NFL's labor talks acknowledged Thursday that "some progress" has been made in the negotiations between the league and player's union.

Ready, for the bad news?

For the parties on both sides "very strong differences remain," which tell us the NFL and union are nowhere near a unanimous agreement, let alone successful deals for the future to protect not only the image, but also the health of players and satisfy the superstars with riches, apparently a bad concept to sadly harm its reputation. The pernicious altercation has abruptly gone viral, although many negotiators are in denial and seriously has the assumption that the two parties can strike a deal, maybe not before the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement expires in three weeks, but maybe by September.


It could be argued, wrangling through the medium of troubles for which both sides have expressed urgency and the realm of responsibility to resolve a matter having much of an influence on the moribund federation, that the NFL can confront a work stoppage until next season arrives. If so, in terms of an imbroglio, there won't be a 16-game season, particularly when the NFL is fully in a flux each week for the complexity to shamefully pollute a league that gained monopoly among other sporting associations.

With awful priorities of this situation, including the unsympathetic creed of a player's health status or even reducing the risk of concussions, the NFL can't afford a lockout. A blind person or even a fool realizes that the state of the league is thrust in the worst circumstances, demolished by the lamest difficulty, probably worse than the 1987 stoppage. The distress of this ordeal is real simple, and as long as we could conceive that it's all about profit while the NFL couldn't care less about its fans, the better off we'll be as human beings putting our heart and souls on football, a remedy for dismissing the scary thoughts of reality sometimes.

Turns out, there are plenty of fools, idiots and morons in command within the player's union and the NFL, inclined to cost themselves huge profit and doubtlessly lose out on entire season, a yearly routine that hypnotized football addicts. The folks didn't mind spending largely on tickets or purchasing the NFL Sunday Ticket premium package on DirecTV, dropping unbelievable bucks to witness and follow their favorite teams. Which brings me to the question, will they care now?

Good question.


If you believe it, after all, a short lockout most likely will not hurt the NFL, simply because it's the most popular professional sport league in the nation. As it stands, it won't draw confrontation and will mercifully protect its reputation by the viewers and the advantages it collects in revenue.

Trust me, I know what the hell I'm talking about. My point is that the NFL should survive, no matter of the aftereffect in the upcoming weeks, no matter if the league endures a painful stoppage, particularly if it only proceeds into the early weeks of the regular-season.

The issue in football is that markets and sponsorships are endangered, jobs are at high risk of being lost, and least importantly, fans are out of luck, destitute of taking in an emotional high or cheering for the adorable team under this tough economy.

Imagine if there's no season, no playoffs, no Super Bowl? If this does happen, the sports world in my eyes and the eyes of professional football is dull, pretty much dead until the return of NFL is competent to reclaim attention. All the revenue flows perfectly in the NFL, but topples in nearly every other professional sport, evidence that we live in an unbalanced world.

When it comes to the unfolding fuss between two parties, as the union anticipates a lockout and remains un-confident with the CBA deal expiring after March 3, the nightmare is complex and mind-boggling. Mostly, from what it seems amazingly, the NFL and player's union is wasting energy and generating tension that happens to be very intense over innocuous affairs, like the argument pertaining to "total revenue." If the people in charge were smart, they'd try to fix the problem before it nauseates the most enthusiastic fans, upsets the fans and lower the chance of viewers, not by a large percentage but somewhat.

When the deal expires, which is only six weeks away, the owners are destined to chafe players during a hideous, revolting lockout, one that can last forever if no one talks this problematic issue over release the destruction it has caused. Meanwhile, this entire scenario, tearing down the omen and the fans faith of the NFL, is a sign of what to expect during the summer. There'll be no free agency, no minicamps and, probably, no football on Sundays, after players have dealt with a decade of ill-treatment from league and union, without any love in return.

What upsets me, and what should upset you as well, is that this disagreement is because of money. It comes as no surprise, not in the age of hard times, not in the age of wealthy owners, not in the age of greed and survival, and the players earn mega dollars.

Goodell said in an open letter addressing the fans earlier this month."Yes, NFL players deserve to be paid well. "Unfortunately, economic realities are forcing everyone to make tough choices, and the NFL is no different."


In this age, winning doesn't matter, not even getting to the playoffs instead the money is worth speaking about. The players, many of whom are wealthy enough to support their families and fortune to stand out as a top-notch star in the league, aren't exposing otherworldly talent like before but are desperately trying to demand more cash from a profitable league. This has pissed off owners greatly, and clearly, the bosses believe roughly 60 percent of revenue the players earn is undeserving, noting greater cost and economic downturns, nonetheless the owners offered it and paid the players from their own wallets.

If you believe every headline, such as the exaggerated fairy tales that sometimes produces a buzz, the league has attempted to adjust the profit paid out in salaries by 9-18 percent. In a sense, the union isn't buying into the financial troubles, requesting for the league to prove its financial obstacles.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones invested $1.1 billion in stadium creation and built Cowboys Stadium, but he's one of the advocates in which stadium expenses will be constituted into the next collective bargaining agreement. Not great for the NFL, as of which none of this is pretty.

While the league is fighting to avoid a potential stoppage, as the mania stem from the unhappy fans malcontent about the proposed 18-game season and claims the league is reluctant to compensate players for playing tow extra games, it's assured that the NFL is on the way to a lockout.

That's not soothing. That's terrifying. That's not pretty. That's ugly, very ugly. That's not glee. That's terror. They aren't lying to you, when they say money is the root of all evil.

NFL Labor Issues Cast Shadow on Super Bowl: Shame on Roger Goodell

DALLAS--It's really a disgrace, a terrible tragedy for America's crowd-pleasing sport, stuck in a controversy and turned into an industry focused on inheriting and assembling massive dollars in profit. This is what the NFL prides itself on these days, sadly lacking character and integrity for what the sport signifies, brainwashed by, bluntly, the ill-advertisement of unreasonable propaganda.

All week, there has been heavy talk, as many envision a potential lockout by next season. This tumultuous task casts a shadow over the Super Bowl. And so, after a prolonged and relentless battle, a verbal altercation that has lasted for months without even reaching a consensus, the NFL is possibly doomed by a hideous storm.

In the modern era, battered by poor economic times, we are witnessing a peculiar crisis for the NFL, a profitable business in limbo for rancorous and absurd labor disputes that has suffocated America's most worshipped and popular sporting business.

At this point, the two parties are shamefully unsuccessful in constructing a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, essentially a crisis upon which two sides lack caring, generosity and compassion in what the fans adore in the nation where football is our cultural perspective for sports.

As the deadline looms for finalizing a new deal, the mutual assumption of corruption is quickly a contamination, ruining the texture of the glamorous sport, but still football has survived the affliction of egregious economic downturns.

However, as it seems that America is on the way to recovery, the NFL is falling from grace, maybe by the poor decisions in recent memory, from the apathy during a severe disaster to the deal on the faces of the businessmen responsible for the reprehensible upheaval.

The time is now for Roger Goodell to stop his constant mannerism of lagging on a current issue, affecting the welfare of a game the population desires to see by next season, intrigued from the countless action, physicality and drama football offers.

It would be greed, not to mention mercenary, to not appease the fans or even owners who sells the city a brand of talented stars that usually exhilarates and lifts the spirit of a town filled with terrific zest.

Nearly two years ago, a moment when the owners voted unanimously to opt out of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, it created almost national disturbance and could only cause additional havoc that could wind up being the league's first stoppage since 1987.

As of last decade, our country experienced a horrible recession and, as a result, unemployment rates ascended rapidly, foreclosures have skyrocketed and educational systems reduced. So many were deprived of their sanity, spirit and hope, with the fragile economy that destroyed our nation.

It seems strange at times to see the same thing happening in the NFL, a league that has reached the point of humiliation and political wars, fighting miserably over money. While each side is unbalanced and hasn't manipulated their leverage, even if the misgivings define the mess as the ugliest mayhem maybe ever in NFL history, there has been a legion of curable plots in hopes to repair the league's image.

Even if much of this crisis seems intact, the NFL has wrangled in verbal altercations, tried friendly maneuvers and tried to promote peace, unity and solidarity. Unfortunately, none of it cured a soul or even mended the differences in a weary dispute.

Plenty of owners and players, refusing to seek a fair share of profit, are in a continuous battle and haven't grasped a sense of common ground, but a sense of softness and un-intelligence. So pitifully, for an enthusiastic nation thrilled to witness what could be a remarkable classic by the end of Sunday, Super Bowl week is eclipsed by the labor talks.

This all could've been prevented if Goodell acted aggressively and didn't allow the insanity to publicly tarnish his legacy and the league's image. Regardless of the popularity and publicity it earns, given the taste of fans wants and needs, the NFL is badly endangered by the mishandling from an inept and baffled commissioner.

As long as there are a number of morons in charge, the NFL will be classified a nightmare, an industry money-hungry and concerned with committing fraud, encouraging fans to pay steep prices for tickets just to rest your rear-ends in a cozy seat at one of the venues.

By the time the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers walk onto the podium at Cowboy Stadium for the compelling media circus on Tuesday, the discussion won't only center on Ben Roethlisberger's troubled past, but also the soon-to-expire Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Shame on Goodell for not reacting much sooner nor proactively trying to reach an agreement that would relieve stress and burdens to re-energize the fans.

This week, nonetheless, the media is focused on labor issues, curious to know if the NFL will play next season instead of being delayed with an ugly lockout. The NFL and the NFLPA have prepared for the madness this upcoming week, and scheduled multiple sessions with reporters, still in the midst of an infinite battle that has gotten worse.

If no deal is done, with the current Collective Bargaining Agreement set to expire on March 4, a potential lockout turns into reality and the NFL loses an entire season at the most.

And as the season comes to a close, probably in the darkness of the drama that has cast a hideous shadow on the league, if there's a labor stoppage in the end, Goodell announced he'll drop his salary to $1 a year.

The mess, particularly ongoing friction that grabs attention, clouds the festivities and the beautiful concepts of the coolest week in sports has foundered and startled our senses in such a saddened way. Where it stands is obvious, nearing self-destruction if Goodell refuses to cede his legacy and sacrifice ego.

This is likely an uproar unlike ever before, which has alarmed fantasy owners, draftniks, players and owners, but not Goodell, once a stern and intolerant commissioner after inserting his personal conduct policy created to punish rebellious players. He is the overseer, and the NFL sheriff, the man we were used to when he handed down harsh sanctions to instill in the minds of players that they have to lead by example.

Earlier in his term, he emphasized good character and dignity and, if so, then why doesn't he save the NFL from a heinous collapse in finances and popularity?

What the owners want is for the players to take the same cut, roughly 60 percent, dissimilar from the current deal in which owners earn a credit of practically over $1 billion for investment in expenses of an annual revenue pool approximately $9 billion before the rest of the money is divided.

The difference is, the owners are requesting for an increase of approximately $2.4 billion in credits, an amount they believe mirrors the adjustment of economic progress this era.

With the murky situation, in the middle of the chaotic, berserk Super Bowl week, the anxiety comes from the unknown. As of late, in previous weeks, NFL personalities such as Steelers owner Dan Rooney and Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie proffered their thoughts about the progress of negotiations on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

At this rate, the NFL is quickly approaching a lockout. For a while, there hasn't been a reasonable session, and without communication, it's pretty difficult to unanimously constitute a new deal.

It was only last year when the NFL produced nearly $9 billion in revenue, but has yet resolved its difference with the NFLPA. You'd like to think that the NFL isn't stupid to possibly risk huge profit for being too greedy and stubborn.

So the bottom line is, if there is no deal by the deadline, the NFL potentially loses an estimate of $120 million in revenue. It only gets worse, if this issue extends all the way until the regular season in September when the league could lose $1 billion.

The best thing the league has promised is to limit offseason workouts and reduce training camp, and create jobs for players by adding roster spots. Now that Goodell is willing to expand the season to an 18-game schedule, why not give the players suitable benefits at the end of their careers, why not finalize a deal with DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association?

The side with the leverage is Smith, who is worried heavily about long-term injuries and additional ailments from a longer season, unless Goodell talks with sense for once. The problem is, the sides aren't palatable.

It's too bad Goodell doesn't care, or else this wouldn't have hijacked Super Bowl week.

Roger Goodell Unwisely Cares About His Legacy, Rather Than Saving NFL

When Roger Goodell finally does care to save the NFL from itself, enforces a convenient policy that pacifies owners and players, declares a consensus rule and caters entirely to the league within his discretion, the NFL can return to prominence and reestablish itself as the much-respected enterprise.

Sadly enough, in the wake of political wars, animus disputes and lingering labor talks, it's the one theme amid a perpetual crisis that has gradually smeared the tenor of the richest sports league in the world.

In the midst of fragile economic times of the modern era, as the NFL still pockets revenue and rises into a primary sport, the delirious minds of fans madly devote their hearts and souls on worshiping their favorite NFL teams.

In truth, if there's a labor stoppage by next season, Goodell announced he'll drop his salary to $1 a year, a glaring indicator of ridiculously the commissioner's salary, wealthy by millions and can invest into businesses or even purchase estates in parts of the country. Almost a week away from the Super Bowl, and the potential lockout clouds the festivities in which the lovely romance toppled and overwhelmed our consciousness.

The corruption looms for a disoriented, chaotic and corrupted industry, ready to self-destruct if Goodell is unwilling to cede his legacy, which it seems more important other than saving the NFL from a grotesque downfall. To this day, the two parties have reached an outrageous point, engulfed in one of the wicked disputes in regards of the NFL's collective-bargaining negotiations.

That is what the fuss is all about, two parties that cannot resolve their difference, cannot reach an understanding to reduce the infighting madness and, in all likelihood, cannot avoid a ghastly lockout. It's certainly not alarming to Goodell, once the sternest and ideal commissioner for installing his singular conduct policy constituted to punish players of wrongdoings, structure and kindness.

He surely, in retrospect, has allowed too much latitude and has been very kindhearted to renegade players, even if an NFL star unlawfully committed horrific crimes or violated that said policy. What's so bad is he hasn't inflicted harsher punishments for players of late, allowing a number of troubled stars to get away with their sins.

On the issue of stressing the significance of morality to set certain barriers and rid the tension or detriment that poisons the industry and places a maligned image on the league, Goodell is anything but an enforcer. With that in mind, thus he once was the NFL Sheriff, we are merely accustomed to his intolerant and bigoted nature, the personality that has earned him an awful reputation. He would rather protect his legacy at the helm for the troubled business, he is by virtue stuck in a storm with the NFLPA, until each party reaches a settlement and constructs a new collective-bargaining agreement.

If nothing else, assuming that Goodell chooses to instead to fascinate populace by simply promoting the sport with strategy to market the one of wealthiest business in existence, it's very important he tries negotiating for a new labor contract or else he can destroy his legacy and endure devastation. The reality is, he has no inkling as far as rescuing the NFL from embarrassment or destruction, and if he ever was the guy who emphasized the significance of integrity and dignity, then Goodell is a different man now!

We can only assume that he's soft and feeble, unwilling to sharpen the landscape of the NFL, disengaged in taking command during his regime tantalized by his lack of aggressiveness and indifferent mental outlook on such an unidentified plague which affects his image. Now it's clear, upon hearing the latest mess surrounding his legacy, that he's neither powerful nor influential in a way to communicate with union executive director DeMaurice Smith.


As for NFL overkill, Smith has the leverage in the ugliest argument emanated to add dismay in the middle weary labor negotiations, until the NFLPA and NFL comes to an agreement in terms on a new labor deal. Unsure of the future status, he's still trying to enhance an 18-game season as a way for stockpiling profit, especially if the primary necessity is for ticket sells to balloon, for people to reserve hotel rooms, for alcoholics to overcrowd bars and lastly for the NFL to become a global industry.

That's what Goodell wants us to believe. Over the next few weeks, this is by far the biggest issue, and instead of overlooking the truth, he should be anxious to resolve the problems before its too late, before the league lose out in profit and protests presumably begin in the streets and madness invoke.

All week, his image took a dramatic fall when he spoke face-to-face with Smith in New York on Wednesday, when he on Capital Hill in the presence of lawmakers and congressional workers including former players and when he said "there's not enough communication" between both sides.

When he uses his flimsy excuse to tell the world that he's not the one to blame, he is almost laughable if he expects us to believe he's not the scapegoat. I don't care that he installed a personal conduct code to bust misbehaved players, he lost tremendous credibility. If Goodell thinks the league is saved, then he's in a sense of denial and disbelief, suddenly an inept commissioner with no barriers or a rational blueprint to serve as an antidote in the NFL.


If football ever was to move forward, vanquish the hurdles of prolonged fuss as the deadline quickly approaches that adds to the horror of a potential lockout and a brutal storm which can dismantle the welfare of the game, it's now the moment for Goodell to sacrifice his ego and toss out the prestige. Like it or not, the NFL is stuck in much disarray, surrounded by the torture that could possibly paralyze the league. What lingers is very frightening in a way, particularly for the fans forced to likely endure the long-suffering lockout.

Logic is, fans couldn't care less who is responsible for the labor negotiations, but just want to witness football next season. And since Goodell and Smith feuds in arguments, with kickoff for the Super Bowl a week from Sunday, the lockout debates provoke conversations for what could be the worst and scariest stoppage in sports history.

If so, instead of elevating his legacy, the messy predicament ruptures Goodell's legacy and popularity. That said, if the NFL become pedestrian simply for the stoppage capable of delaying and depriving a nation of fans paranoid by football, owners will lose money once the games are cancelled, players won't be lavished with enormous paychecks or any signing bonuses and the networks will lose billions.

And because football is such an economic remedy for mostly every community, unemployment rates will inflate as a legion of jobs such as restaurants, bars or concession stands and stores won't create many job opportunities, but will probably downsize in employment rates. The issue is, Goodell hasn't taken none of this into consideration and still is inactive, unwilling to request more money to players, but in the meantime, owners are discontent in spending ridiculously on players and would like to spend less on their star players.

Either way, in the end, one of the sides have to compromise and, if so, it reduces the turmoil if Goodell takes command in his attempt to save the NFL from any financial collapses or fiascoes. These days, for sports of course, there's no national holiday greater than the Super Bowl, an event that takes place on usually the first Sunday in February, a moment in the season when people host a large-size party to come together collectively and feast on junk food as they rest near the television with their eyes glued to the world's biggest game, rooting on the favorites and catching an emotional high.

Now, just imagine if there's no Super Bowl in the near future, or nothing to relish on Monday nights. If this happens, in which the NFL could be labeled the self-righteous, hypocritical business with all the hysteria and turbulence that has demolished the perspective of football in America where it is ultimately a rite and has turned into a typical brand name.

As of recently, he is comfortable with his manipulation, a strategy that worked efficiently in his favor when he created and enforced the NFL's conduct policy. But now, there's no guarantee that his plans will dominate this time, and if not, Goodell's monumental legacy is disintegrated. If the dispute is handled in court, the situation only becomes worse for the bargaining issues, including the 18-game proposal and rookie wage scale.

Goodell, even after he inserted rectitude and a strong reputation for the NFL while on the throne, is eternally in a stressful position, well, somewhat. So there was Goodell, unsure and baffled of what is ruining the league, pledging to lower his salary only if there is a work stoppage after the current collective-bargaining agreement expires in March.

In the upcoming months, abandoning the mess is hurtful, even if the two sides try to relieve the situation that has been lingering for months and counting with all the ramifications. Every last bit of, Goodell's top negotiator, Jeffrey Pash's salary will be reduced, too, if the league essentially topples in the next few weeks.

This is partly what happens if a business is mishandled or run poorly, and potentially if there's a lockout, Goodell will lose $10 million that he makes annually and Pash can lose nearly $5 million. This is the disaster of a nightmarish dispute, a pointless disagreement and it turns into an absolute joke. Every NFL franchise is worth over $1 billion, and the average player is worth $1.7 million.

Whatever it is, it's the most distasteful war of the beginning to a repulsive lockout maybe, a standstill that can evoke an outcry.

Kill the Golden Goose, Goodell: Save NFL or Encounter Ugly Lockout

For all the foolish nonsense of a potential lockout by 2011, Roger Goodell will make enemies if he doesn’t reach an agreement any time soon. Things are animous currently, in which football could suddenly face a hideous relapse.


By any means, why would Goodell allow owners to kill an entire season? Why would he cost the league millions after failing to pacify owners? The commish isn’t an idiot and he won’t screw things up, to make matters worse.

If so, the NFL becomes a travesty and a contemptible war among owners and players. But to stay above the fray, Roger Goodell is liable if a season is suddenly postponed with the failure of reaching an agreeable deal.

Amid a recession, industries have downsized a large amount of jobs and crippled and shut down completely, but the NFL is the most enticing and exciting industry, so Goodell doesn’t have to dismiss employees or force teams to reduce in luxury taxes.

Please understand, the National Football League isn’t that stupid. Owners realize there’s an enormous amount of profit that could be lost.

Imagine losing out on an entire season—venues are shut down, and fans are spending Sundays at church, or home relaxing, or working on chores before starting a long week of work.

Imagine owners losing out on millions, and Goodell being known as the commissioner who failed in a prominent role. Thus far, he has been successful in handling issues by instituting a player’s conduct policy.

And props to an intolerant Goodell, who played the role of a police officer on certain occasions when he inflicted harsh penalties on players for their foolish actions on and off the field. But he isn’t nearly as powerful when staring directly at the NFL Players Association, an empire that has seized control, and is currently overpowering Goodell.

What we are looking at is a powerful democracy, while Goodell is a puppet on strings. As of now, the league remains in limbo, and could be in worst shape by tomorrow.

On the positive side, the NFL is the most compelling and thriving league in American sports, but unfortunately the market dominating during a competitive age seems incapable of settling an ongoing issue that is gradually unraveling.

Although the game has hit a financial crisis, the NFL is still in good health. On Sunday, more than 106 million people had their eyes glued to the television watching the Super Bowl, which set a staggering record as the most-watched program in television history.

Owners are taking $1 billion off the top of total revenue, but the league is urging players to decline their share of remaining revenue from roughly 59 percent to 41 percent.

And while there’s a new television contract created, owners are expected to earn $5 billion if there’s a lockout in 2011, an insurance policy to keep a fair share in the pockets of wealthy NFL owners.

As baffling as it sounds, the NFLPA is speaking as if there will be a lockout, advising all players to save 25 percent of their salary.

Franchises are declining to reveal their average profit margin. Owners are infuriated about non-salary cap systems, especially when NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith proffered that it’s unlikely the league will formulate salary cap systems if there’s none established in 2010.


All the hoopla about the Collective Bargaining Agreement, rookie wages, uncapped seasons, and labor deals is making NFL devotees cringe. This is a league that has become America’s trademark, a league truly embraced for the dramatic contests and athletes in general.

As the highest enterprise in the country, the last thing to anticipate is a distasteful lockout. But now, it’s a business immune to problems other major leagues have faced in the past, skipping out either an entire season or half a season.

The NBA was highly viewed as a likable association until encountering a lockout in 1999, which almost lasting an entire season. Before degenerating completely, the NBA reestablished its credibility when an influx of superstars began contributing and lured in viewers.

An entire season was delayed when MLB had ended the ’94 season on the downside in late August—an ordeal that toppled its stature until Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa saved the game with a remarkable home run race, which is now marked with asterisks since the heinous steroid revelations.

The NHL hasn’t recovered after taking off an entire season for an awful lockout in the ’04-’05 season. Even though the league is surviving on the resurgence of two sensational stars in Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin, the NHL is still dealing with a financial crisis and lost television deal—and accepted a deal with the Versus network after ESPN refused to televised games.

Maybe the NFL feels it won’t have to face similar problems, but it remains unknown. It’s hard to tell where the National Football League will stand following a lockout.

Currently, the two sides are fighting about $8 billion in profit, and if there’s no settlement anytime soon, matters may turn ugly and end an entire season before it resumes.

Smith said owners want the players to take an 18 percent pay cut, for an annual average of $340,000—including a steep request in which players are allowed to accept only 41 percent of applied revenues. Yes, the NFL is stuck in a storm. And to weather the storm, Goodell must step in, as he has in many situations.

At the annual State of League news conference on Friday, he constantly drifted away from the ongoing topic, an issue that kind of highlighted and heralded much chatter leading up to the big game. He’s ashamed to dwell on a serious controversy that could later tantalize the most prominent league in all of major sports.

It seems to me owners are asking for a lockout, angry of all the unfairness transpiring within a wealthy market. During economic downturns, I think the last thing fans want to see is a lockout, as the game of football takes those watching in their living rooms away from reality.

Certainly, we want to believe Goodell isn’t that naïve or stupid to allow owners to take a gigantic step towards a hiatus—an awful hiatus which would be damaging for a league that manages to produce high TV ratings and ticket sales at local venues. The average franchise is worth $1 billion dollars, and fans are willing to pay for expensive tickets.

Owners are richer, gaining profit by the minute. Players are earning huge contracts, even if they under-perform. But greed and ego is happening at the same time, and Goodell has to take accountability before all things fail by 2011.

Sure, players are ticked off having to accommodate a system where their money isn’t guaranteed as in Major League Baseball. Sure, owners are upset about the guaranteed money dished out to players. Oh, get over it.

There’s an uncapped year looming, but there shouldn’t be a NFL lockout if Goodell pleases both sides, as well as Smith—the union chief who seems to believe a lockout is inevitable.

There’s some truth to his belief that both sides are unwilling to compromise over labor disputes. And even worse is, if next season is played without a salary cap, and the collective bargaining agreement expires, owners may stage a lockout of players and replace their teams like during the last labor stoppage in ’87.

If nothing is done, things will get ugly.

Come on, commish.

I repeat, come on, commish. Save your sport.