There’s a little more breathing room to negotiate for both the NFL and the NFLPA, the midnight deadline has been effectively pushed back by at least 24 hours. The extension does allow both sides a little more time to try and negotiate a suitable CBA for both sides, but it’s not a lot of time.
The extension will give the NFL and its owners time to digest the reports from several league sources that quarterbacks Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Drew Brees were among a host of players who had agreed to participate in a class-action suit against the owners, alleging antitrust violations.
Manning, Brady and Brees are the biggest names in the game and are widely considered the ambassadors of the sport.
With issues like revenue distribution, a rookie wage scale and an 18-game season up for discussion, it appears doubtful that the two sides will miraculously come to an agreement even with the 24 hour extension.
So much is riding on the outcome of these negotiations for so many different industries that rely on the NFL for their livelihood. Obviously, the entire gambling industry, bettors, bookmakers, and sportsbooks are concerned, but small businesses that feed off the NFL season are also bracing themselves for the worst.
An NFL work stoppage affects everyone. Coming to think about it, that includes me too! How many times can you write, “day blank… still no deal.”
Let’s hope they get this thing figured out sooner than later so we can start talking about the NFL Draft.
