Commissioner Roger Goodell emerged from a meeting of NFL owners
Thursday and tossed a bone to America’s football fans.
He said the owners had overwhelmingly ratified a proposed
collective bargaining agreement that would end the lockout that has
halted league activities for more than four months. Afterward, you
could almost see NFL addicts moving to the edge of their seats.
By Monte Poole – McClatchy Newspapers
Commissioner Roger Goodell emerged from a meeting of NFL owners Thursday and tossed a bone to America’s football fans.
He said the owners had overwhelmingly ratified a proposed collective bargaining agreement that would end the lockout that has halted league activities for more than four months. Afterward, you could almost see NFL addicts moving to the edge of their seats.
When Goodell added that owners would be prepared to open training facilities on Saturday, you could almost hear the collective sigh from fans across the country.
When he said they were prepared to start the new league year on Wednesday, you could almost feel the roar of the national crowd.
Finally, after 132 days of wearisome impasse, there was a break, eh?
But Goodell had more to say. This gift from the NFL gods was not unconditional, as he seamlessly followed this welcome news with a cryptic addendum, saying it was “subject to (being ratified) by the full membership of the players.”
Goodell was saying, in essence, we’ve delivered water to the thoroughbreds _ but it’s up to them whether they drink.
As John Madden might say: Boom! This easily was the most telling blow of this 132-day battle, and the commish threw it without clearing his throat, reaching deep down and summoning an explosive uppercut, landing it flush on the collective body of the players.
The cheap shot crashed into their heads, staggered them, forced them to regroup.
It struck their hearts, too, for such a sneaky maneuver easily could embitter them. And it may have cracked the image the players have projected throughout this tedious standoff, that they were risking life and limb for short-term gain while greedy, intractable owners were sitting in suites reaping rewards decade after decade.
What Goodell and the owners did was put the pressure squarely on the players _ and invite further acrimony.
Going public with agreement among owners (31-0, with the Raiders abstaining) before the players could vote _ before they could see the full proposal or arrange a conference call to determine when they might vote _ was a clever bit of underhanded genius.
Once the owners’ meeting in Georgia adjourned, the same executives who have been so tight-lipped for all these months flitted and flocked to the cameras and microphones, talking about how relieved they were to get this behind them, how they were looking forward to getting back to football, to giving the fans what they want and deserve.
Panthers owner Jerry Richardson was telling ESPN they have a “handshake agreement” with the players, while Giants owner John Mara was saying, “Now it’s up to the players.” Owners are expecting 10 years of labor peace. They issued the news release to prove it.
It was calculated, ruthless and impressive theater. If you’re an NFL owner in this high-stakes game, it’s a transparent show of solidarity and a willingness to move forward.
Though the players weren’t exactly blindsided by the move, they did not appreciate its feel-good vibe. How good can an “agreement” feel when only one side, in an Atlanta-area hotel, has spoken?
When the other side, in Washington, D.C., has yet to see the details of the proposal?
One AFC veteran described the stunt as “B.S.” Another agreed with that sentiment. Steelers defensive back Ryan Clark, in a tweet, described it as “Media mind games.”
Though some players were optimistic late Thursday, many felt disrespected, saying the owners were resorting to P.R. stunts in hopes of breaking the unity of the players and their representative, DeMaurice Smith.
No treaty of any kind can be effective unless both sides are in accord. Both sides can’t be in accord until both are fully informed. For one group to pat itself on the back for what amounts to internal agreement doesn’t move the NFL any closer to its fans.
There are yards to go before this is settled. There are bruised feelings that must be healed. And, before anything can be concluded, there is a union to be recertified.
Goodell and the owners know this. For the duration of this lockout, they have been portrayed as villains. It’s an easy caricature to draw and largely on point. They’re wealthier, with more control and fewer risks. They represent the power structure.
They tried Thursday to flip the script, to win over some of the fans displeased with their part in this fiasco. It wasn’t immediately successful. It might not be successful at all.
Their happy-face, we’ve-done-our-part front was, at best, an inspired effort.
If they wanted to rock the players, they did.
If they wanted to win fans, they should have been a little more reserved, a lot more sincere and patient enough for the players to agree and arrive to smile along with them.
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