Saints QB Drew Brees has gone on the offensive against NFL owners. Brees, a named plaintiff in the players' antitrust suit against the league, told SI.com that he and his counterparts are motivated to defended themselves against what they feel is a league trying to exploit them. And he invoked the name of late NFL Players Association chief Gene Upshaw as a rallying point. Said Brees: "Ever since Gene Upshaw passed away -- I'm just going to lay it all out there -- the owners saw blood in the water. They felt like, 'This is our opportunity to take a significant piece of the (financial) pie back at all costs, a piece that we will never have to give back again. This is our chance, while they don't have leadership, while they're scrambling to find a new executive director. This is our time.' " Brees contends that NFL owners had a calculated plan to lock them out that was years in the making. He feels they want to avenge the 2006 CBA deal that is generally considered to have been favorable to players. Source: USA Today
he has a point. 50/50 is fair. Look at it like this. The players side is the salary cap right? And that is around 60% of the money coming in. So if the players divide 120 million per year what does the owners get. 70 million or so. Not very good in math like that. But it is alot to say the least. You are telling me that 70 or so million a year isn't enough? Bring in new owners and let them go. Because a person doesn't get the franchise right. It is the city.
Gene Upshaw was one of the greatest union chiefs in the history of major sports. Not only did he get the players one of the most favorable CBA deals in the history of sports he continued to fight for their rights until the day that he died. If Gene Upshaw were still around their would not be a lockout. Were are your facts? You don't have any. That was a bs post. I can only hope someone who is half the man that Gene Upshaw was eventually rises up and takes control of the NFLPA so this crap never has to happen again.
Nice of you to tell me I don't have any. You don't have any. Retired players still feel sense of betrayal from Gene Upshaw - New York Daily News I can only hope that DeMaurice Smith is a better man.
i hope Brees is right, The Owners derserve more of the pie, the players are snobs and act like a bunch of beeyatchs, get in trouble and expect to still get paid. im sure the owners feel the same way i do.. shoot, im down for an all out conspericy between owners, start busting down players salarys, lower ticket prices and who would be the fan favs then.. Boo YAA
Upshaw didn't get the best deal in sports, sorry the NFL still has no guaranteed deals. The NFL just benefits from having a lot more money. They did get a solid deal last time but now the owners realize they can't keep raising prices on fans and that cities aren't paying for stadiums. The owners aren't struggling but they see that their debt is increasing and ways to increase revenue is diminishing (which is why they wanted more games). Really it just comes down to greed from both sides.
From what firmer GMs and coaches that were employed during the last work stoppages and the CBA negotiations, they say that Smith is doing things a lot like Upshaw did them. Not sure I agree, but I've heard several interviews stating the similarities.
