Letter from Roger Goodell

Dear NFL Fan,

When I wrote to you last on behalf of the NFL, we promised you that we would work tirelessly to find a collectively bargained solution to our differences with the players' union. Subsequent to that letter to you, we agreed that the fastest way to a fair agreement was for everyone to work together through a mediation process. For the last three weeks I have personally attended every session of mediation, which is a process our clubs sincerely believe in.

Unfortunately, I have to tell you that earlier today the players' union walked away from mediation and collective bargaining and has initiated litigation against the clubs. In an effort to get a fair agreement now, our clubs offered a deal today that was, among other things, designed to have no adverse financial impact on veteran players in the early years, and would have met the players’ financial demands in the latter years of the agreement.

The proposal we made included an offer to narrow the player compensation gap that existed in the negotiations by splitting the difference; guarantee a reallocation of savings from first-round rookies to veterans and retirees without negatively affecting compensation for rounds 2-7; no compensation reduction for veterans; implement new year-round health and safety rules; retain the current 16-4 season format for at least two years with any subsequent changes subject to the approval of the league and union; and establish a new legacy fund for retired players ($82 million contributed by the owners over the next two years).

It was a deal that offered compromise, and would have ensured the well-being of our players and guaranteed the long-term future for the fans of the great game we all love so much. It was a deal where everyone would prosper.

We remain committed to collective bargaining and the federal mediation process until an agreement is reached, and call on the union to return to negotiations immediately. NFL players, clubs, and fans want an agreement. The only place it can be reached is at the bargaining table.

While we are disappointed with the union's actions, we remain steadfastly committed to reaching an agreement that serves the best interest of NFL players, clubs and fans, and thank you for your continued support of our League. First and foremost it is your passion for the game that drives us all, and we will not lose sight of this as we continue to work for a deal that works for everyone.

 

Yours, Roger Goodell

Unlikely teammates: Steelers fans join Ravens and other NFL fans in NFL protest

At 2:00 a.m. on March 12th, a Facebook group was created focused on Steelers and other NFL fans openly protesting the National Football League. The group "Protest the NFL". The movement focuses on spreading the message of a total boycott on all NFL merchandise and sponsored products until the NFL 'lockout' ends.  They've gone so far as to say they will boycott the first NFL game following the lockout's end if necessary.  What is interesting isn't that fans are involved; it's that fans from often rival teams are putting aside the 'rah-rah' and 'my team is better' talk in order to send a clear message to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and team owners that they aren't going to accept the actions of the league. The union isn't safe from these protests either.  Fans are fed up with everyone involved.
A 'National Day of Protest' is scheduled for March 27, 2011, and another for May 1, 2011.  Those involved with the protests make it clear that they are not protesting the teams or the players, but are focusing all their attention on the owners and the NFLPA.  Interestingly, the protests are extending beyond the borders of the United States into fan bases for NFL teams in foreign countries.  Even members of the United States' Armed Forces who enjoy being able to connect with home through televised football broadcasts are angered with the inability of the league and players' union (which has decertified) to commit to real negotiations and be willing to compromise.
In an online Q&A with group representative Chris Funk of "Lock out the NFL" this morning, the following message was made clear as to how NFL fans in the group feel and the type of expectations they have from the league and the union members.  After a link was posted that mentioned that Roger Goodell would be holding an online chat session, Funk responded that he would not be a part of "giving Roger Goodell and the NFL any revenue!"  He went on to say, "This protest and boycott is to drain the NFL of as much revenue as possible."  He feels that the NFL is using the Goodell chat session as a means to keep fans (and viewers) of the NFL engaged, but also to use them to increase site traffic which often results in revenue gains.
Funk went on to say:

He (Goodell) does not have to answer your questions.  I know snakes when I see them.  He will sliver right around what you say.  I guarantee if you and this group wind up clicking the link (to the chat), you will be allowing yourself to be fooled into going against our overall cause...we are boycotting the NFL and what we need to do to ensure we stay on the right track is to guarantee the NFL will not make a penny from any of us fans...

Christina Rivers: "Chris, do you realize that an open boycott of ALL NFL activities could put those who have NFL-related jobs at risk as well?  If this is for the fans and the people...then all should have a say.  This goes way beyond ignoring any NFL website."
Funk: "The best way to confront the NFL is to attack what matters most...that's their bank accounts!  That's what our goal is...not to attack someone who doesn't (care) about what you say."
CR: "Ok, I am just looking at angles. Let me give you my experience...and you can tell me how you feel about it. I have been a journalist for a while and one area I cover is local politics. I found that politicians, like Goodell, like their own little moments in the spotlight...but they don't like a member of the media who is willing to confront them with the hard questions. So, I go and I make sure I ask those hard questions. I email them. I send them hand-written letters. I call their offices. I bombard them with questions until they have no recourse than to answer or be subject to scrutiny through media outlets. A politician wants to gain constituents...so if they are perceived as being unfriendly to the people via the media, they eventually cave. Goodell is like a politician in every sense of the word. If this is his 'campaign', then you are right that he needs to have all of this in his face 24/7 365 until he answers. By not answering, is he is showing the true colors of the NFL - and will that speak volumes and bolster any blockade of NFL action as well?"
Funk: "I see your point, but politicians (most of 'em) are going to avoid the tough questions.  Many will lie. With Goodell...I think a lockout looks bad. (He) has been actively trying to keep both sides negotiating to come to a new CBA (collective bargaining agreement).  Goodell may be in hot water right now and we do not know this."
Funk: "I know Goodell needs the NFL season to go on.  Without the NFL season, Goodell looks pretty bad.  He is already too controversial.  Look at what Kevin Burnett of the Chargers said on XX sports radio in San Diego...'Roger Goodell is a blatant liar'...what makes you think he won't just lie if we all ask tough questions?  The players and the fans already know what Goodell has done to damage the game we all have loved our entire lives.  The truth will come out and Goodell will not be an NFL Commissioner much longer."
The group Funk represents is currently 1126 members strong, but growing.
Funk: "The fans are fed up with Roger Goodell, the NFLPA, and the owners.  When will the NFLPA and owners place the fans ahead of revenue?"
CR: "It's a legitimate question.  In today's economy, earning revenue seems to be at the top of most lists for everyone.  What is different about fans?"
Funk: "The fans spend hard earned money to support their favorite team.  Fans buy expensive tickets to games.  Fans buy expensive 'official' NFL jerseys and other NFL merchandise.  I know I earn $31,000 a year and I spend $1000 of that on NFL products and tickets."
CR: "Chris, do you think that the owners' actions are reckless in regards to the economy overall?”
Funk: "It's not just the owners' actions..."
CR: "So, it's the owners and the players' union...?"
Funk: "The owners and the NFLPA both made reckless decisions regarding the economy.  The economy is already suffering.  Unemployment is over 9 percent.  Many lower paid NFL employees are already having their hours cut.  I was advised that the Baltimore Ravens slashed hours from 40-plus hours per week down to 26 hours per week for many employees who work in the main office.  Additionally, many vendors and businesses will suffer from lost revenue when games are not played at the stadiums.  Many businesses are going to be forced out of business because they rely on the fans to spend money...before and after the games.  I guarantee if the season is delayed for one month (let alone a full season), the landscape around the stadiums will differ enormously."
Funk: "I think about how billionaires and millionaires are arguing over splitting 1 billion dollars and I find it amazing how they are not satisfied! What about the average fan? I read what Adrian Peterson wrote on Twitter.  AP stated,’ It’s modern-day slavery, you know' and then Rashard Mendenhall (of the Steelers) followed up today by stating, ‘anyone with (knowledge) of the slave trade and the NFL could say that these two parallel each other.'   I can think of about 90 percent of all jobs in the world that compare much closer to 'Modern Day Slavery'. I find these statements astonishing but not surprising."
CR: "How do the fans feel about these quotes and what is happening?"
Funk: "I am not the only person who feels the way I do.  I have spoken to over a thousand NFL fans who share the same beliefs as I do.  We are fed up with greed.  We feel as though the game we love is no longer about football.   The NFL is all about business now!"
Funk: "To go back to what some players are saying...the players seem to be confused with the choices they have made in their lives.  NFL players did not get forced into becoming highly paid professional athletes.  NFL players, like Adrian Peterson and Mendenhall, made the choice to play in the [league].  Slaves did not have a choice.  Slaves were forced to work for free.  Players are paid millions of dollars to do something they supposedly love doing."
CR: "How far are the fans willing to go?"
Funk: "The fans are fully prepared to boycott all NFL products and 'officially' sponsored products.  Additionally, we will not watch any NFL television show or navigate to any NFL web site.  When the NFL eventually does unlock the gates to the stadiums and the season does start we are prepared to boycott the first game of the season.  Just to make two things clear...the fans are not protesting the teams.  We love football and we love our teams.  Secondly, we do not want to wipe out the NFL completely.  We just want to land a few jabs to their gut..."
CR: "Mendenhall and Peterson are overstating their 'punishment' for not being able to play and likening it to slavery...and you are saying it's because they have no idea of real slavery?"
Funk: "I would like to see Adrian Peterson try to be a roofer or a carpenter or a brick layer...or a garbage man!  [He] would not last one day.  And to think of the difference in pay...I become infuriated thinking about what he said."
CR: "Tell me why you think the NFL might become like the UFL or AFL.  What about those leagues have made them less than the NFL in your opinion?"
Funk: "I believe the UFL and AFL fan base is generally small compared to the NFL.  With such little fan base, the UFL and the AFL cannot afford to pay the most talented athletes to play for their teams.  If the NFL loses fan base, the teams will not have the revenue to pay their most talented athletes.  We may even see a reversal.  The AFL has become more popular since games have been broadcast on the NFL Network.  Maybe the AFL will gain the fan base...those who may leave the NFL.  Wide receiver Troy Bergeron of the Dallas Cowboys is headed to the AFL."
CR: "Do you think DeMaurice Smith and the NFLPA intentionally misled the public into believing they had every intention of making a season happen?"
Funk: "Not saying that is the case, but many fans, including myself, believes that maybe DeMaurice Smith made a ‘deal with the devil’...sneaky high-priced attorneys who are now hired to represent the players?  Who referred the players to the attorneys?  I really wonder if DeMaurice [Smith] played a roll in what lawyers are involved."
CR: "A conspiracy?"
Funk: "That's getting to be a little too conspiracy theorist for me, but I wonder..."
Funk is the official representative for the group.  He created the group 1 1/2 hours after talks ceased between the NFL and the players' union.  He admitted that Mike Haskins has played a pivotal role in organizing the planned protests at NFL stadiums across the country on March 27, 2011.  Funk resides north of Pittsburgh in Crawford County.  Interestingly enough, Funk, a Ravens fan in a traditionally black and gold region, has put all of his love/hate for the Steelers aside to rally all NFL fans to one common purpose.

Former NBA player owes close to $1 million in child support

Tyrone Nesby is a deadbeat dad, the former NBA player plead guilty in Illinois for not paying child support. He was charged with three counts of failure to pay child support, Nesby’s apparently been having good times with the ladies in Illinois ($570k), Indiana ($318k) and Nevada ($87k). The CARMI TIMES reports after the plea deal, Nesby will owe a total of $977,402.05. The former Clippers and Wizards forward faces a maximum of six months in prison, $5,000 in fines and probation. Nesby played four seasons in the NBA, averaging 9.5 ppg. The Clips and Wizards paid him a total of $9,254,167. Since his NBA days, Nesby has played overseas in Greece, Italy, Serbia and Lithuania.