Goodell meets Smith, as Labour negotiations scheduled for Saturday
Statements from both the National Football League (NFL) and the Players Association (NFLPA) have repeatedly stated that there is a need for more communication. Both sides have accused the other for the slow pace of negotiations. The last time a formal bargaining session was held was in November. On 5 February, the union will meet with NFL executives to discuss the labour dispute.
On Monday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell met with the players union’s executive director, DeMaurice Smith. The two met in New York and went over “a range of issues related to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA),” according to a joint statement. They agreed to hold a number of meetings in the coming weeks which include formal bargaining sessions and smaller group meetings.
The labour negotiations had apparently reached an impasse. The NFL and the Players Association had been concentrating on public relations campaigns, which focused on vilifying the other side, instead of diverting their energies toward negotiations. The meetings scheduled for this Saturday and later stand in contrast to the attitude of both sides over the past couple of weeks, and show a renewed commitment to reaching a deal before 4 March.
The two sides will meet in Dallas, Texas. On Sunday the Cowboys Stadium in Dallas will host the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers for the Super Bowl. NFL owners have threatened a lockout unless a deal is reached before the current CBA expires. The CBA was signed in 2006 and the owners opted out of the agreement in 2008. The NFL has not experienced a work stoppage since 1987.
The focus of this Saturday’s negotiations would be to discuss the proposal to adopt an 18-game regular season. The NFL has been pushing to reduce the preseason to two games from the current four, and expand the regular season from 16 to 18 games. The league argues that the physical strain on players after an 18-game season won’t be too adverse. The NFL argues that the current financial arrangement between the players union and the NFL is not sustainable. They say that the added revenue is essential for the NFL.
However, the players union has its reservations. Although the total number of games would be 20, the players argue that an 18-game regular season would substantially increase the risk of serious injuries. In the final weeks the players’ bodies have already taken a serious beating. The union said that an 18-game regular season would reduce the average span of a career. In a counter proposal the union asked for greater compensations, including increased health benefits for current and former players.
A reduction in off-season workouts and practices has also been proposed, in addition to an expanded roster to take the pressure off individual players. The NFL is likely to agree to those terms but that still doesn’t mean that a deal would be easy to reach. The NFLPA said that it is obligated to negotiate in good faith but it had no intention of agreeing to an 18-game season. Players unanimously oppose the idea because the increased risk of career-ending injuries.
“Player contracts are not guaranteed, even as injury rates rise, which means careers face sudden ends each time the ball is snapped,” the union’s medical director Dr. Thom Mayer said. More games would mean more injuries and more careers ended each season.
In a report released last week, the NFLPA said that the number of injuries had risen from last season. It said that the average team suffered 3.7 injuries per week. That number was 3.2 in 2009. The report added that 13 percent of all injuries resulted in the player being placed on the injured reserve list. For the 2010 season, 464 players were placed on the injured reserve list, up from 388 last year.
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