http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2348417 Upshaw says NFL labor talks break down againESPN.com news services NFL labor talks broke off Tuesday three days before the start of free agency, leaving teams and players in a quandary about negotiating new contracts. Gene Upshaw, executive director of the NFL Players Association, spent the last three days meeting in New York and Washington with commissioner Paul Tagliabue. "We're deadlocked. There's nowhere to go," Upshaw said. "There's no reason to continue meeting." Although the contract does not expire until after the 2007 season, this is a critical period in the negotiations to extend the 12-year-old contract. Talks have been going on for more than a year. Without an extension, the 2007 season would become a so-called uncapped year with no spending limit and no minimum, and players could potentially face a lockout in 2008. Team officials and player agents have said that doing business without an extension -- particularly with the free agent signing period set to begin Friday and the draft on April 29-30 -- will prove virtually impossible. Because of the extreme circumstances that would exist with an uncapped year on the horizon, it would be difficult to meet the financial expectations of free agents and high-round draft choices. Free agency is scheduled to start Friday. If the deal is not extended, this would be the last year with a salary cap, so agents and team officials want to know how to structure contracts. For example, if there is no extension, the salary cap is expected to be about $95 million this season and annual raises after 2006 in a long-term deal would be limited to 30 percent. If the deal is extended the cap could be $10 million or more higher. ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli reported Monday that league owners are scheduled to meet Tuesday via conference call to discuss the status of negotiations. Two owners told Pasquarelli on Monday afternoon that they have delayed their departures from Indianapolis, site of the NFL scouting combine since Wednesday, to accommodate the 6 p.m. ET timing of the conference call. Information from The Associated Press and ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli was used in this report.
damn that sucks....get the damn CBA done....i dont want to risk any lockout nore does anyone who watches football
Any Clue....... what the hang up is? These morons don't want this situation to end up like the NHL debacle.
Bah! Gene Upshaw's pretense of "hand." I'm just guessing (of course), but this reads like a drafting issue. This morning, a deal was in sight. Suddenly, late afternoon, things are falling apart. So, someone took the broad strokes, put them down on paper and some other person wasn't all that keen on how it read. Probably one of the "have" teams, since the they're the only parties giving anything up in this negotations. Everyone else is on the plus-side. This thing is still on the brink. We'll hear about it breaking down a time or two more, and then someone will step in and be the champion who fixed it all. 10-to-1 says it's Gene Upshaw, who's got his beady little eyes on the Commissioner's corner office.
It really seems like Gene Upshaw just lives for the moments when he can find a microphone and tell everybody that the sky is falling.
