phattywankenobi Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Maybe grownups are finally talking to each other again.Reports: De Smith attended not-so-secret meeting with ownersPosted by Mike Florio on June 2, 2011, 9:13 AM EDTAPInitial reports of the clandestine Chicago-area meeting involving multiple owners and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell omitted reference to one key attendee.Per multiple reports (including one from Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN and one from Albert Breer of NFL Network), NFLPA* executive director DeMaurice Smith was present, too. Other NFLPA* officials also were there.Per Schefter and Mortensen, the two sides met into the evening in an effort to bridge some of their various and sharp differences. The meeting was so secretive that some owners didn’t even know it was happening.Though a potential agreement continues to be a long way away, there’s some hope that the foundation could be in place for a deal to be reached later this month.The key, in our view, will be for the two sides to use the uncertainty hovering over the Eighth Circuit’s consideration of whether the lockout will be lifted as motivation to control their destiny. Helping that effort could be questions or statements from one of the two judges believed to be leaning toward allowing the lockout to remain in place indicating that one or both of them quite possibly could go the other way.UPDATE: It’ll also be interesting to know whether the talks occurred without the lawyers present. If so, there could be cause for real optimism, given the belief that the lawyers have been dragging down the process and/or providing affirmative obstacles to making a deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phattywankenobi Posted June 2, 2011 Author Share Posted June 2, 2011 Nice to see the attorneys not involved since it's the legal process that will surely drag this out past October this year.Not-so-secret meeting was lawyer-free (except for De)Posted by Mike Florio on June 2, 2011, 11:02 AM EDTReutersFor months, key figures on each side of the NFL’s labor dispute have called for negotiations to occur without the lawyers present.Finally, it has happened.Updating and clarifying prior information on the Chicago-area meeting between the league and representatives of the NFLPA*, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that no lawyers attended, with the exception of NFLPA* executive director DeMaurice Smith. Accompanying Smith were NFLPA* president Kevin Mawae and Executive Committee members Jeff Saturday and Mike Vrabel.Attending for the NFL were Commissioner Roger Goodell, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Giants co-0wner John Mara, and Steelers owner Art Rooney.The fact that six owners participated when a rotation of four have been attending court-ordered mediation sessions is a positive sign, but the absence of men like Jeff Pash, Bob Batterman, Jim Quinn, and Jeff Kessler represents the best news. It means that the two sides are moving toward trying to find a win-win solution, with the lawyers left to iron out the details after a consensus is reached on the bigger issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g-dawg Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Isn't the 8th circuits final decision on the lockout coming tomorrow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geneaut Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I like that Kraft, Mara, and Rooney were there. Those 3 have fairly level-headed stances I believe. I believe those 3 want to play football, and soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Hoopah! Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Isn't the 8th circuits final decision on the lockout coming tomorrow?It can always be appealed to the Supreme Court. Tomorrow is only the hearing, I don't know whether they will announce their ruling tomorrow or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phattywankenobi Posted June 2, 2011 Author Share Posted June 2, 2011 Isn't the 8th circuits final decision on the lockout coming tomorrow?Yes it is. Let the wild speculation begin. My hope is that both sides have at least sketched out a rough agreement so that they can make an agreement as quickly as possible but it seems obvious to me both sides will wait until tomorrow's ruling.Hopefully this means they will find an agreement soon as I read somewhere if this thing goes to the Supreme Court it would be in October at the earliest. I suppose the silver lining is perhaps now that they have established these issues in the legal proceedings both sides will not feel the need to follow this route in the future and will get back to negotiations which should have been the goal in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phattywankenobi Posted June 2, 2011 Author Share Posted June 2, 2011 I guess the ruling from tomorrow won't be decided until late June but mediation starts back up Tuesday. I think it's a positive sign though since this is the first time both sides have met without lawyers since the day before the Superbowl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtlantaFalconPokerPro Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I have my fingers crossed. I'm starting to really miss some real football news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birds_till_death Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 For the first time, i can say i'm in favor of something D-smith did. Obviously we don't know what was said or what happened in those meetings, but the fact that they meet in something outside of a court room is good in my opinion.My guess and OPINION IS they were trying to orchestrate a way for the NFLPA to negotiate towards a new Collective Bargaining Agreement with the league without damaging their status as a decertified union. This way, the NFLPA is still free to pursue it's litigation technique against the league and the talks towards a CBA won't be used against them to prove the decertification was a sham; Discussions without lawyers has been what the league has been begging for since this whole thing started. I hope this is a step in the right direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb4242 Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 SMH, didn't the union decertify? Why was DucheMaurice Smith there?Did he finally realize he screwed up forcing the players to go the lawsuit route rather than negotiate in good faith before the CBA expired? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1989Fan Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 i am surprise De Smith hasnt been on NFLN talking smack on them about the meeting already.he pompous attitude isnt helping the players get a favorable deal, that's for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukfalc Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 For the first time, i can say i'm in favor of something D-smith did. Obviously we don't know what was said or what happened in those meetings, but the fact that they meet in something outside of a court room is good in my opinion.My guess and OPINION IS they were trying to orchestrate a way for the NFLPA to negotiate towards a new Collective Bargaining Agreement with the league without damaging their status as a decertified union. This way, the NFLPA is still free to pursue it's litigation technique against the league and the talks towards a CBA won't be used against them to prove the decertification was a sham; Discussions without lawyers has been what the league has been begging for since this whole thing started. I hope this is a step in the right direction.I agree that this is definitely a positive move.However, the owners can't agree a new CBA. All they can do, is reach a settlement in the litigation, which involves the 10 Claimants dropping the lawsuit and the league agreeing a set of rules which is agreed by the claimants (who presumably won't agree anything which isn't met with by approval from the NFLPA). There is no way that this gets resolved without the current litigation being dropped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconidae Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Nice to see the attorneys not involved since it's the legal process that will surely drag this out past October this year.Not-so-secret meeting was lawyer-free (except for De)Posted by Mike Florio on June 2, 2011, 11:02 AM EDTReutersFor months, key figures on each side of the NFL's labor dispute have called for negotiations to occur without the lawyers present.Finally, it has happened.Updating and clarifying prior information on the Chicago-area meeting between the league and representatives of the NFLPA*, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that no lawyers attended, with the exception of NFLPA* executive director DeMaurice Smith. Accompanying Smith were NFLPA* president Kevin Mawae and Executive Committee members Jeff Saturday and Mike Vrabel.Attending for the NFL were Commissioner Roger Goodell, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Giants co-0wner John Mara, and Steelers owner Art Rooney.The fact that six owners participated when a rotation of four have been attending court-ordered mediation sessions is a positive sign, but the absence of men like Jeff Pash, Bob Batterman, Jim Quinn, and Jeff Kessler represents the best news. It means that the two sides are moving toward trying to find a win-win solution, with the lawyers left to iron out the details after a consensus is reached on the bigger issues.Agree this is good news, but isn't Smith an attorney? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phattywankenobi Posted June 2, 2011 Author Share Posted June 2, 2011 Agree this is good news, but isn't Smith an attorney?Yes but I am disregarding that part due to the fact both sides are talking directly and not through their attorneys or the court system. Yes I know he was a former DC lobbyist but I'll take any positive sign I can get right now. Training camp is suppose to start in 6 weeks and free agency hasn't even started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birds_till_death Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I agree that this is definitely a positive move.However, the owners can't agree a new CBA. All they can do, is reach a settlement in the litigation, which involves the 10 Claimants dropping the lawsuit and the league agreeing a set of rules which is agreed by the claimants (who presumably won't agree anything which isn't met with by approval from the NFLPA). There is no way that this gets resolved without the current litigation being dropped.Legally yes, but practically no.think of this as a school yard negotiation. They can negotiate all the deals of a new CBA and hopefully come to an agreement. They just can't sign it yet. Whatever happens behinds closed doors doesn't matter what it's called. The legality only begins to apply if an agreement is reached. If it is, they can pawn it off as settlement talks like you described or the NFLPA can drop the lawsuit and recertify and sign the agreement. If they don't reach an agreement, then the NFLPA's stance as a labor orginazation and the decertification being legitimate is still in tact and both sides continue down this path of destructionIt's actually the only way for both sides to actually work towards a new CBA without either side compromising the stance and posture they have taken in the legal battle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEORGIAfan Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 SMH, didn't the union decertify? Why was DucheMaurice Smith there?Did he finally realize he screwed up forcing the players to go the lawsuit route rather than negotiate in good faith before the CBA expired?I have proven that Dsmith was at the negotiation table long before the owners were willing to talk. Now as soon as the owners lost their TV deal smith decided he didnt want to negotiate and wanted blood, but that does not change the fact that originally he was the one negotiating in good faith. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chifalc Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I have proven that Dsmith was at the negotiation table long before the owners were willing to talk. Now as soon as the owners lost their TV deal smith decided he didnt want to negotiate and wanted blood, but that does not change the fact that originally he was the one negotiating in good faith.SO implicitly does that not say that he is NOT negotiating in good faith now?(And I undid your minus, because that was not really a post worthy of a minus. ..)(Even if I do disagree with your premise) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEORGIAfan Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 SO implicitly does that not say that he is NOT negotiating in good faith now?(And I undid your minus, because that was not really a post worthy of a minus. ..)(Even if I do disagree with your premise)I dont think he is negotiating in good faith now. He is out for blood. He saw the win of the TV deal as the first battle and instead of taking the W and making a treaty, he decided to Continue the fighting getting as much as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geneaut Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 (edited) I dont think he is negotiating in good faith now. He is out for blood. He saw the win of the TV deal as the first battle and instead of taking the W and making a treaty, he decided to Continue the fighting getting as much as possible.See I read it different. I think he knows the court is about to render a decision in favor of the owners on the legality of the lockout, and now he's just prepping so he has something to take back to the trade association.The player's lawsuit was just a negotiating tool. I really don't think any of them really want a legal decision that is out of their hands, and will be defining how the NFL operates. Edited June 2, 2011 by Geneaut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulitik Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Good news. This shatters the pro-owner narrative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chifalc Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Good news. This shatters the pro-owner narrative.UIm. . . what? Howso? The fact that he met, FINALLY, does not mitigate anythgin that came before - how exactly does it shatter ANYTHING? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geneaut Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Good news. This shatters the pro-owner narrative.At this point I don't really care who's 'narrative' is deemed more realistic ... we just want football. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulitik Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 UIm. . . what? Howso? The fact that he met, FINALLY, does not mitigate anythgin that came before - how exactly does it shatter ANYTHING?Proves everything you've all cried about De Smith wrong. Even moreso if a deal is made. I'll give the owners all the credit in the world if we avoid a lockout. I doubt you'd do the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chifalc Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Proves everything you've all cried about De Smith wrong. Even moreso if a deal is made. I'll give the owners all the credit in the world if we avoid a lockout. I doubt you'd do the same.Because he FINALLY comes in and talks about somethign after being a first class royal jack*** does not prove things are wrong, it just makes it so he might finally be coming to his senses. I wouldn't give Smith credit in any case, but if the NFLPA decides to pressure him to do the right thing, sure, I can give them credit. But not SMith. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durrtay Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 All I know is I'm finally real excited about some falcons football and I wanna see it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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