NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith sees new signs that owners are preparing for a football-free 2011. Speaking at a tailgate-style fan luncheon a few blocks from Lambeau Field on Tuesday, Smith referred to a recent Sports Business Journal report that said the NFL is requiring banks that lend money to its teams to extend grace periods for loan defaults through the end of the 2011 season in the event of a lockout. “That to me is a step where the owners are protecting themselves in the event that there is no season,†Smith said. Smith said that move, along with provisions in television deals that provide for some payments even if there is a lockout, are evidence that owners are planning for the possibility that there won’t be a season in 2011. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello noted that the players are going through the process of approving the potential decertification of their union, a move that could be seen as preparing for protracted negotiations. “There are many preparations taking place, including the union preparing to decertify and go out of business,†Aiello said. “Our focus is on negotiating a new agreement with the union. The longer it goes, the tougher it will be and we are not sure if this union plans on continuing to be a union.†Rodgers, the Packers’ newly elected player representative to the union, asked the crowd of about 300 fans for their support. “We’re going to keep you guys daily on our minds and we realize how much this means, and affects not only us but this community,†Rodgers said. “We thank you for your support, and stand with us. It’s going to be a tough fight, but we’re trusting that in the end everything’s going to turn out to way it’s supposed to.†Source: Yahoo! Sports
