Tony Gonzalez Day" - Atlanta Falcons team owner Arthur Blank honors tight end Tony Gonzalez with a pregame ceremony commemorating his 1,000th catch at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010. Curtis Compton, ccompton@ajc.com
Falcons owner Arthur Blank contended that the owners bargained in good faith with the NFLPA in an open letter to fans, that is posted on the team’s website.
“As you probably know, last Friday the NFL’s mediated talks with the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) ended without a new collectively bargained agreement, and on Saturday a lockout commenced,” Blank writes. “Neither of these events were desired outcomes, as commissioner (Roger) Goodell and our negotiating committee had worked diligently and tirelessly to reach a new agreement through the mediation process over the last three weeks.”
Blank address the fact that fans want to know about the 2011 tickets that they have purchase and the investments they made during the playoffs for two rounds of tickets.
“The most important thing you should know is that we remain committed to reaching an agreement that is fair to both sides and does not disrupt the 2011 season,” Blank writes. “We negotiated in good faith with the NFLPA, and we are prepared to re-enter negotiations at any time . . .the current status of the collective bargaining agreement will not disrupt our preparation for the 2011 season.”
He notes that general manager Thomas Dimitroff and his staff are preparing for the NFL Draft, which will be held April 28-30.
–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog
121 comments Add your comment
Jon
March 14th, 2011
6:08 pm
First
JD
March 14th, 2011
6:22 pm
This is so lame. Lock them in a room with no food and water til they have an agreement….
MaxxFalcon
March 14th, 2011
6:40 pm
Goodell=Failure
TheManMike
March 14th, 2011
6:53 pm
Much more important things going on in the world than this B.S. $$ dispute. Sitting here watching the news about a town of 17,000 people in Japan that is missing 10,000 of it’s people. It looks like there was never even a town there…To the NFL AND the Players – GET OVER YOURSELVES!
old qb
March 14th, 2011
6:55 pm
In the end the owners and the players get their money and the fans get the shaft. Greed at the professional level trumps “love of the game” every time. Try explaining this ongoing philosophy to an eleven year old kid that worships the game and loves his heroes. The players may run a sub 4.4 forty, but they have feet of clay. The owners give out Christmas turkey, but they’re the epitome of “there ain’t no free lunch”. Hey, a five year old could divide up nine billion without killing the goose.
Sid
March 14th, 2011
7:32 pm
These players are payed ENORMOUS amounts of money that affords them lifestyles “most” of us can only anticipate if we win the lottery. In the long run it is the owners who have invested and gained ownership of a franchise…………to me the employees have no right to ask to look at the books. The NFL players should be grateful to the owners and the fans that they have this forum to be very highly paid for their god given and hard earned athleticism and talent. Why do you think you deserve more than what you have ……….?
Sid
March 14th, 2011
7:34 pm
You know Darrell, those that comment only “First” should be deleted for not commenting on the subject matter.
New Orleans smells like piss.
Snake Doc
March 14th, 2011
7:55 pm
Naa Naa Naa, Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye!
Could care less what a bunch of spoiled brats do next. As far as I’m concerned the NFL stands for – Never again will I spend my money, or waste my time to watch the NFL on Fox, CBS, or PMSNBC!
Good bye to the billionaires and spoiled millionaires! Hope you all rot in…, well, you know where!
JuneBaby
March 14th, 2011
7:57 pm
I’ll bet you that @Sid is a teapartier union hater, regardless of what union it is. The players should have no rights at all in his small mind, and the owners are always right. And how does he connect fans to the owners, he hasn’t talked to me or any other fan that i know, to be able to come to that conclusion! What he should have said was “These owners are paid ENORMOUS sums of money that affords them lifestyles “most” of us can only anticipate if we win the lottery.”
Tom Pridemore was tough
March 14th, 2011
8:14 pm
@ old qb…Greed trumps all…
Georgia Husky
March 14th, 2011
8:22 pm
Mr. Blank – No problem. The bottom 99.5% of the population are way too busy struggling to keep their jobs, finding healthcare for their kids, despairing about how they decreasing chances to send their kids to college, just trying not to give up hope, and (oh yeah) filling out our March Madness brackets. You have no ability to relate to us, the regular people, so stop trying to pretend that you care. Football was a great distractions from the pain of the past few years that you oligarchs caused us. Now, you’re even taking this away!
So, if you don’t want to play, fine. We’ll find other things to do. But, don’t expect us to care about your whining. And, we will NOT come back any time soon.
Georgia Husky
March 14th, 2011
8:48 pm
Also, speaking as a devout progressive, Sid is dead on in his analysis. We’re not talking about teachers struggling to get by each day knowing that they will never see another raise the rest of their lives – no matter how great of a difference they make on our kids. Mr Blank can solve a lot of problems if he and his oligrarchical friends didn’t have such short arms to go with their deep pockets! NFL, like the world, should not be socialism for the wealthy and capitalism for the rest of us.
As a taxpayer
March 14th, 2011
9:31 pm
As a taxpayer that supports the World Congress Center (who runs the Dome) with state taxes, I would like to see the books before we agree to spend another dime on new stadium. The people in LA have it right. No public funds for rich brats until the public’s other needs are satisfied.
Lodney Ho
March 14th, 2011
9:48 pm
Arthur initially wanted to read his letter on 790 The Zone, the Falcon’s new Flagship station, but then he realized that we wanted more than 19 people and Shapiro’s family to hear the letter’s contents.
hangman
March 14th, 2011
9:52 pm
I’m almost 80 and pro ball is one of my enjoyments. So let me see if I get this straight;;;;;;; Feel free to enlighten am old man.
We have some of the highest paid pro players in the world wanting more money.
They discovered that the owners have X number of dollars and they want their share of it. Is that just about it in a nutshell? Sounds like something our president would think of. Karl Marx thought about this years – ago that no one should have more than anybody else. And we all know how that worked out.
carolyn
March 14th, 2011
9:55 pm
sadly, some people like sid will give their all to support big money guys like blank and walk right by a family that has lost their home and all because of ceo’s who feel that working stiffs (like sid) deserve peanuts for the work they do to make a company profitable. yes, the players are making more than peanuts, but they run the risk of physical and debilitating risks suffered from concussions and should be compensated. you can be sure that the fans are not there to see arthur blank on the field.
LydiasDad
March 14th, 2011
10:08 pm
Quit whining everyone. All of you sheep will be back, buying $8 beers, as soon as the season resumes. Just like people came back to MLB baseball after the ‘95 strike, in spite of all the whining. You won’t stand up for anything because it’s easier to follow.
D. Orlando Ledbetter
March 14th, 2011
10:11 pm
jd = Let’s relax. Nobody is missing anything until the first minicamp gets canceled.
Dale
March 14th, 2011
10:14 pm
That’s it!
If you can’t play together nicely, no new stadium.
Who really cares?
Dale
March 14th, 2011
10:15 pm
Enter your comments here
ATL FAN
March 14th, 2011
10:22 pm
Whoever still thinks that the NFL is going to happen next season is an idiot
TC
March 14th, 2011
10:27 pm
Screw u arther blank and all of the players as well. I am sick of you all acting like you care…you are all so out of touch with the common man it makes me sick….screw u for using us, knowing that we will come back after u sort out your millions while others in your organization who make $7.50 an hour are jobless.
mecq tate
March 14th, 2011
10:28 pm
The NFL Players have been taken advantage of since Pop Warner….The University’s tht recruit them make millions of dollars on them and don’t share the bounty. Only the high Powered Alumni get to do that. They then drag their aready tattered bodies willingly to the NFL to continue to abuse their bodies in hopes of getting pennies on the dollar that’s made. They, too, are treated as if it’s a privilage to do this kind of work, when their career is done these guys are cripple and crazy from all the abuse. Let Roger Goddell, take a few hits, or shall I say run a few miles in the players cleats….!!! The owners are greedy and self entitled.
lech112
March 14th, 2011
10:28 pm
Regardless of who’s side you’re on, once this thing is resolved, The Falcons are going to be just fine — http://bit.ly/FalconsImpact — a lot better of than most teams.
JR1967
March 14th, 2011
10:35 pm
If Mr. Blank wants to read his letter on 790 the zone, he should do it during daylight hours, otherwise the only people who could hear it at night would be the people parked in the Tower Place parking area outside the studios.
Eazy
March 14th, 2011
10:37 pm
Whoever keeps trying to compare this situation to socialism must have some class envy going on. The players of America’s most popular sport go through the most physical trauma out of any professional sports I can think of. Most players are in the unfortunate position of having absolutely nothing after their NFL careers due to medical expenses. I’ve heard enough stories to know that the NFL doesn’t truly care about their players, just their bottom line. Just like a real business, right ?
I hope this CBA settles issues that are more important than money.
ATL FAN
March 14th, 2011
11:00 pm
Eazy what are you talking about?? Bottom line is NFL players make millions and they should be set for LIFE if they plan accordingly. If they want to live a lavish lifestyle now and suffer later, that’s their problem and not the owners. The fact that they get payed millions simply to run for ten seconds at a time is enough.
Duck tape and glue
March 14th, 2011
11:00 pm
You look at any industry where the primary imputs of production are human beings and lo and behold the largest cost is overwhelmingly labor. Our education system, public or private, typically has labor at around 70% of cost. How then do the owners expect to pay the core of their product less than 50% of revenue? Arthur Blank paid 545 million for the Falcons in 2002 and its now estimated they are worth well over a billion. How well did your stocks do in that same time period? Does this sound like a business that is getting killed by employee costs? Fortune 500 CEO compensation topped out in in 2007 at an average of over 15 million. Once again, how did your stocks do over the last ten years? Does anybody deserve 15 million a year when their company is bleeding money? Prices are going up, people are losing jobs, and you’ve lost more than you’ve put into your 401K but nobody gets pissed at dorks in suits making obscene amounts of money for running companies into the ground. Instead, we get pissed at the players that spend more hours a day lifting weights than you spend sleeping just so they can get a chance at an average 4 year career in the NFL after which they will have fine honed skills that have almost no other possible application. They players should form their own league and rent out Sanford Stadium on Sundays. They could give half the revenue to hope scholarship and still get a better share of the money. I’d pay for that ticket.
Blip
March 14th, 2011
11:01 pm
Blank thanked fans for understanding? They understand? Who understands? The principals don’t even understand each other.
Good that this will not disrupt preparations for 2011. It’s be a national news story when Arthur breaks ranks with owners and allows locked out players in for off season workouts. Arthur? Were you serious in saying this will not disrupt preparations? Think that one out. It already has, for every team. No way around that.
It pains me to strike an understanding with the owners, but so much of the public resentment toward that rides on the back of their uber-wealth. It creates jealousy and anger. If it were earned on the backs of slave labor, folks being paid as if they were working in fast food, I could understand that a lot easier.
I don’t see how the fact that some owners have a bunch of yachts, or airplanes, or whatever has anything to do with the nature of the CBA going forward. They’ve earned their money in a variety of ways, and in most cases added to their wealth through owning an NFL team. To the victors go the spoils.
This crap about the players demanding that owners make public their books . . . how would that go over in your workplace? Why don’t you storm into the office and demand to see your owner/boss’ books. That’ll work out for sure.
Likewise, the fact the average NFL career is so short should have no bearing on this. Sure, their earning window is brief for the most part. Hey, if that prospect does not appeal coming out of college, go elsewhere and seek a more secure job. Your right.
Now, the issues of healthcare/insurance/pensions/post-career healthcare . . . those should all be on the table inasmuch as the very unique nature of working in the NFL as a player (not a PR goober or a coach) merits unique consideration in those regards as recompense for embarking upon a relatively high-risk job.
In the end, the owners are going to give a little ground. They should. But they should not give nearly as much ground as some bleeding hearts suggest.
walter matthews
March 14th, 2011
11:06 pm
I call on all football fans to boycott the 1st 3-6 games of the 2011 season as a form of protest against the owners. This will show them that they may treat the players any kind of way…. more like slaves,
BUT, we as the paying fans will not tolerate this type of greed. Mr. Blank appears to be a real nice
man, but he appears to be led by the other rich & greedy Pro Slave owners.
Life and Loved Ones > NFL
March 14th, 2011
11:18 pm
I really hope the Super Bowl we saw last month was THE LAST one ever.
Yes, really.
Dennis
March 14th, 2011
11:24 pm
Well, it wasn’t that big of a deal for me to swear off baseball after the umpires revamped the strike zone and took control of the game… I lived through that and I can darned sure do something with the money I’ve been spending the last few years for the NFL Sunday Ticket so I could watch the Falcons in my cigar-smoke-free living room.
Few of these already overpaid players would be any more successful in life than the rest of us mere mortals. That they scream for more is beyond me.
dawgforlife
March 14th, 2011
11:48 pm
I am sick and tired of millionaires arguing with billionaires about money. Mr. Blank, you people make me sick at my stomach. your little note falls on deaf ears or blind eyes or whatever. The owners, trying to squeeze five more cents out of a players life amid his glorified plantation. The players, grubbing for five more cents out of a game I’d play for free, and work in the daytime. you have the greatest game in the world, and we the fans made it great; but, don’t sit there on TV and spew or write letters to us about how much you care. you people don’t give a flying rip about us. you could not care less about us. Will we be back when all this is over?….yes, but not because of either set of your greedy backends. We will be back because of the majesty of football. We will be back for the love of football. We will be back in spite of you yahoos. Mr. Blank, I have lost, and will not ever regain, all respect for you personally. To each and every one of the Falcon players from Matt Ryan to the loweest paid (400-500K hope you can live off that piddly amout) player, I lothe you. I will follow the falcons and cheer for the falcons because of the city and the game they represent. I will be a fan of none of you money grubbers ever again…collectively the greedy players and greedy owners have cost us our beloved game. I will be back; but, I will never forgive either of you.
awesompt
March 14th, 2011
11:56 pm
That is SO lame, Arthur. You’re all a bunch of richboys living the dream. The players make more money than most of us can even imagine…..to play a freaking game. The owners are already millionaires, and they want our sympathy because they can’t get a little more money off the top to build a stinking stadium? Newsflash! We don’t give a crap about the stupid stadium. Just go play the game and be thankful that those men who put their bodies on the line still get people to come see your team play. Work this crap out and get on the field on time, or we will leave you just like we did with baseball. Good luck breaking even when they start blacking out your home games again because no one will come…..
tim hart
March 14th, 2011
11:57 pm
screw both sides. i am done with the nfl, i sttill got nascar mlb nba even womens volleyball golf tennis. it is time they realized they aint all that. not to,mention college football, goodbye not for long
awesompt
March 14th, 2011
11:58 pm
You embarrassed us against the Packers….and now this crap? Get real. I hope you loose your shirt, Arthur.
Grumps
March 15th, 2011
12:01 am
I was one of the orignal Falcon season tacket holders (old Atlanta Stadium)and gave them up when prices went up and fan loyality gave way to Stadium Suites and egotistical prices. There are no POOR owners.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 15th, 2011
12:04 am
Roger Goodell is a complete, utter failure, in every way shape and form.
Snake Doc
March 15th, 2011
1:06 am
There shouldn’t be any poor players, either!
jeff
March 15th, 2011
1:43 am
I was a season ticket holder for the past 6 years, now I don’t care if they ever play again because I won’t be there!
RT Bird
March 15th, 2011
1:50 am
Last time I checked, no one was holding a gun to anyone to sign any agreements. Let these guys(both sides) negotiate and deal with the backlash. The market will decide. If you are pissed – don’t buy tickets and don’t watch on TV. The market will handle the situation if you let it – like water flowing downhill – it will find a way.
RT Bird
March 15th, 2011
1:59 am
By the way. The taxpayers should not fund any stadium. If the owners want to talk about all the good a team does for a city or a region – it cuts both ways – it is easier to attract players to, and keep good players in – great cities. Someone suggested that the NFL take that extra billion each year and use that money to build stadiums – that is a good idea…
clint
March 15th, 2011
4:25 am
The Falcons alowed 20+ seconds for that over rated Qback from Greenbay to pass the ball on about every play. Can’t win games that way.
Falcon Friend
March 15th, 2011
5:02 am
Both the owners and fans are too greedy. I predict that there will be an agreement in time to avoid disruption to the regular season games. Both sides are smart enough to know that they will both loose all that money if they do not play.
JustAThought
March 15th, 2011
6:44 am
This situation ain’t even worth expressing my opinion about. Because I know like everyone else knows, the owners ain’t gonna let the NFLPA look over there books.
Marko
March 15th, 2011
6:44 am
At a time when we can’t afford Pre-k for our kids, NFL billionaires want Tax payers to build them shiny new stadiums. Please read these comments Mr. Blank, most Americans are in no mood to get weepy over the sad plight of abused down trodden billionaires. Open your books to the public and prove your alleged poverty, or quit whining.
Character Review Department
March 15th, 2011
6:59 am
Enter your comments here
dawgdip
March 15th, 2011
7:03 am
The players want a larger share of the owners profit. How about giving up some of your profit (salary) to all of those workers who support you on Sundays . The players are broke when they retire because they are too stupid to manage their money while they play. Mansions, expensive cars, cars, jewelry etc. instead of smart investments is why they have little to show for their earnings. Wake up fans and refuse to attend the games and purchase all of the NFL merchandise.
Football Fan
March 15th, 2011
7:58 am
Tired of all the greedy players and owners but probably would side with the owners. They are the ones taking the risk. In know other business unless it is a public company do the owners have to show the employees their books. Where could these players go and make the money they are making even if their careers average 5-6 years. The problem is most of them do not know how to handle success. Give most people 500,000 per year for 5-6 years and they will invest and then get a job when their career is over. Most of these guys never finish their education and expect to live off the NFL the rest of their lives. Most all pro athletes are so spoiled today. Most of them you see doing the good deeds in the community is set up by the teams. I know there are a lot that are committed but most is for the PR! Look at the average salaries of major sports today. The ones that need the help are the early guys that played because they loved the game and made no money or benefits. Lock them out and start over 3-4 years you will never know the difference!!!!!!!!!
Dr. Warren
March 15th, 2011
8:07 am
The main issue seems to be the 18 game season. I enjoy NFL football but would still hate to see an 18-game season. Entire seasons are already determined by injuries, it seems, so why make it worse. It should be called the NGL. National Greed League.
JASon
March 15th, 2011
8:14 am
“We negotiated in good faith with the NFLPA”
You were asking for a billion dollar swing from the previous agreement. How is that good faith?
Georgia Husky
March 15th, 2011
8:17 am
Those who think the owners are taking a risk are completely missing the point. They are not. These are not regular business people. They have arranged financing scheme that shields them from all risk as they use OPM (Other People’s Money) even though they have plenty of their own. Only a select few of us are in a position to do this. If they feel, they are protected – playing with house $$$.
The players take more risks – 100% injury rate with a 2 yr average career. Still, they have nothing to complain against because they are living a dream.
The rest of us who work for a living without a safety net to support the top .5% who run things take all the risks. The fact that Mr Blank is insulting us the way he is (really – he thinks we should be greatful to him) should be clear to everyone and I hope that no one forgets it. Just because we aren’t oligarchs does not mean we are not intelligent.
This is just another symptom of the Class Warfare launched upon us. Mr Blank – The answer is ‘NO – WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND! YOU HAVE TAKEN AWAY OUR JOBS, OUR HEALTHCARE, OUR CHILDREN’S CHANCES FOR COLLEGE, AND OUR FUTURE! NOW, YOU TAKE AWAY ONE OF OUR ONLY DISTRACTIONS TO THE PAIN YOU CAUSED US – OUR SUNDAYS!! I HOPE THAT ONE DAY YOU UNDERSTAND!!!!!!!!!
It’s serious, folks.
Orlando needs a proofreader/editor
March 15th, 2011
8:37 am
Blank address(ED) the fact that fans want to know about the 2011 tickets that they have purchase(D) and the investments they made during the playoffs for two rounds of tickets.
Just A Grunt
March 15th, 2011
8:39 am
Somebody educate me here. Aren’t the owners financial records already a matter of public records? I mean they have to file SEC filings just like all other companies and those reports are made public if somebody just does a little looking. This to me is just another example of the unions trying to create some sort of little guy versus the big guy confrontation except this time it is millionaires versus multi millionaires. After seeing that the league minimum salary was over $300k sympathy went right out the window. Imagine getting paid 300K a year for sideline seats to a sporting event with all of your travel and accommodations paid for. Yeah I know working on Sundays can be a hassle but you only do it 16 times a year and has anybody ever really broke down the players salaries by time spent on the field actually playing. I don’t mean standing around during commercial timeouts or between plays, but time actually spent engaged in playing. The average play is about, what 6 secs, with 35 secs between and you normally run an average of what 60 plays a game so you working for 360 seconds or 6 minutes.
Not a bad gig. For fun sometime DVR a game and then fast forward from play to play and you will see how long it actually takes to play and how much is spent standing around.
PMC
March 15th, 2011
8:48 am
I understand I’ll be listening to a few more games on the radio.
AFL Rules
March 15th, 2011
8:48 am
The AFL is back……The AFL trumps the NFL anyday of the week. Go Force!!!
Tom Jefferson
March 15th, 2011
8:58 am
Well, Well, Well…… The crowd of wealth envy progressives ( Communists / Socialists ) is thick as thieves here today. Boo hoo for the players and hate for the owners is the cry of the day. The NCAA is a slave organization, the owners are are all greedy, bloated pigs raping the poor players. Give me a frigging break. What would be interesting , would be to let these poor, poor athletes get into college on merely the merit of their scholastic aptitude, pay for all their classes, food , use of training facilities, books, travel to and from games, medical services. I realize that a broader vision of real life escapes most progressives and always will, but they will shake their fists in vitriolic hate at those who have achieved and earned more in life through work and wise decisions. Allow these players to take these degrees they “earned” and venture into the workplace and join the rest of us. I guarantee you the desire to bargain will return. To me, the solution is simple, the players under contract return to work and open facilities. Those who refuse, terminate their contracts. Take a league wide accounting of players and expand the draft accordingly. All CBA negotiations begin with the last offer made by the owners and let the chips fall where they may.
fildawg
March 15th, 2011
9:10 am
Yawn! Who cares about the NFL. Dawgs kick-off on Sept 3rd!
WTF?
March 15th, 2011
9:16 am
How many of you boobs on this blog will rush right out and spend big money for tickets for these overgrown babies? The fans should lock the NFL out for a year and there would never be another greed session like this ever again.
SeenThisB4
March 15th, 2011
9:24 am
The verbal diarrhea spewing out of Blank’s mouth only further adds to the putric stench of Atlanta’s smogged air. Only the simple minded, bird brained falcan’t-fans would buy into any of his statement. This has always been about maximizing the gross profits of the owners and the net of the players. It has never been about what is best for the game or the fans.
On the other hand, a lost season would be infinitely better for atlanta fans than the abyssmally bad season the falcan’ts would have in 2011 anyway.
phil
March 15th, 2011
9:28 am
I’m not reading one word that the greedy billionaire owner wrote. Not one. And I don’t want to hear it from the whiny players either. They all make me sick.
Here’s my suggestion to end the strike/walkout/lockout, whatever it is. Don’t go to a single game whenever the NFL next plays a season, be it this year or next. Sit out one full season. No more, no less. Just don’t go. Decide now that enough is enough. If this is how they want to treat us, while playing us off as idiots and fools, then stay away from the games and see how long they keep arguing. Won’t be long….
I’m taking the next season off. No live games, no games on TV. To heck with em….They’re all essentially telling us to go to hell. Well right back at you….
phil
March 15th, 2011
9:30 am
WTF:
Exactly. Stay away for a year and watch what happens. It won’t kill anyone. Just do it.
tim
March 15th, 2011
9:57 am
While I like Mr Blank, the man blows a lot of hot air.
Bargain in “good” faith??? What is that?
LAME LAME LAME
Butch
March 15th, 2011
9:59 am
It’s really quit simple. The dollars that these gentlemen are fighting over belong to the fans, so keep your money. It’s the only card a fan has in this game. I intend to play my card every Sunday of this year.
The Faithful
March 15th, 2011
10:03 am
Sid and Tom have it right.
If I were an owner. I would have a 60 round draft and start from scratch. Write a new contract telling the players how it is and if they sign there X then they are get to play. If not, NEXT.
As for the players. They should start their own league. I think competition is great. It would be fun to see if the players could come up with enough funding, get over the in fighting that would likely to occur, the social security payments they would want, profit sharing that would keep the league mediocre once the first few seasons passed. Communist football would not work.
This is a for profit league run by the best business men. The players are players because that is the skill they have. Only the smartest and best brown nosers (John Elway) get to a position where they can own or participate in a team as a near owner.
The fact of the matter is…they need each other and will come to an agreement because the players are greedy (I need a raise too…Obama’s stimulus missed me), and the owners are too.
It is what makes the best country in the world work like it does. It is simply the greatest system ever. Learn to embrace it and you will find joy.
Dr. Johnson
March 15th, 2011
10:25 am
Maybe the Falcons Family should not come to the first 2 home games. No attendance = no concession/vendor $. I bet that will hit their pockets. I totally agree with the comments that were posted previously. The real people suffering are the one’s that are making $7.50 per hour. I wonder how many players/owners are going to offer hardship assistance during the LOCKOUT…
just sayin'
March 15th, 2011
10:28 am
let those under contract honor their contracts….those that don’t show up…terminate their contracts….let them market their capabilities…on the field or off the field..then let them see which ‘lifestyle’ they prefer..playing a game…or having a job, if they can get one in today’s marketplace with the skills they have…let the owners build their own stadiums…no tax dollars for them…if they put a good product on the field, then they’ll make money…
Falcon James
March 15th, 2011
10:37 am
I looking for season ticket. Anybody got some?
TRIPLEDART
March 15th, 2011
10:46 am
CHICKEN SOUP ANYBODY
X
March 15th, 2011
11:04 am
@Blip well said!
CarolinaFalcon
March 15th, 2011
11:26 am
Have been a huge Falcons fan from day one. Even when I moved to Charlotte 13 years ago I remained loyal and watched every game on Directv. Well I am cancelling that and do not care anymore. I am no longer a fan of the Not For Long league and I hope the whole season gets cancelled. 9 bil dollars REALLY!!!Someone should take a look at all the real suffering going on out in the real world and wake up. I hope a lot of other fans will do as I am and this will teach both sides who is really in charge of both’s livelihood. Better things to do with my everyday things than to worry about this crap. Goodby Not For Long league……..
Double Zero Eight
March 15th, 2011
11:28 am
I can adjust to life without pro football.
It is not a necessity!
EC
March 15th, 2011
11:28 am
Who cares! Let them get a job in the real world and then see if they complain about NFL wages. Business owners should always make more money than the employees period. Otherwise why would you take a risk and invest money to open a business anyway?
JSS
March 15th, 2011
11:35 am
@ Just A Grunt…
The then NFL owners restructured their ownership by-laws back at the end of the 1980’s. They made a number of structural changes to how they report their financials. They changed the ownership structure for every team except the Packers (who were grandfathered in) to a single owner with no more than 32 minority owners as “private corporate entities.” This was to keep the vast majority of their books from public view except for the required IRS filings (which by privacy laws can not be released by anyone but voluntarily by the corporate entities). No team can sell stock in public. This excludes the Packers. This was a deliberate choice made to protect themselves in labor negotiations.
The Packers, where we get most of the truthful information of the true operating cost for a NFL franchise releases a detail financial report including revenue sharing. They are also operated as a not-for-profit organization. All operating profits (last reporting year was $9 million dollars) source is Stephen Kiel of the Arquitos Capital Management Financial Fund.
The Packers Foundation stock is no longer available except in a matter of exclusion (voted out) or death and new shareholders are voted on by the managing board of directors. The number (approximately 4,750,000 shares) of Packers shareholders are limited to holding no more than 200,000 shares. They can offer new stock for special projects, that is what happened when they renovated Lambeau Field. According to professional managers who have looked the Packers books; they returned a lofty p/e ratio of 102. So if you infer a non-diluted p/e on 33 owners on the typical NFL team, they are earning a phenomenal return compared to the typical return for a corporation as long you’re not paying dividends…
There are only 5 public held franchises in all of American pro sports. 3 major league teams: the Braves (Liberty Media), Mariners (Nintendo Corp.), and Blue Jays (Rogers Co.) and 2 NHL teams the Rangers (Cablevision) and the Hurricanes (Compuware). The operating costs of those teams are detailed in their annual reports each each year.
ctfalconsfan
March 15th, 2011
11:36 am
The owners do take a risk with their money. Granted the NFL has proven to be a good investment but as I remember Mr. Blank paid over $500 million for this team 8 years ago. $500 million that he earned while being a founder of Home Depot. HD wasn’t his daddy’s company, he worked hard to get to where he is..
Now I agree the City and State help finance many stadium deals etc. but is Matt Ryan or Roddy White looking to invest their money into the team or a stadium? NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
If the players were smart they would go to the UFL and talk with those owners and invest in forming a new league where they get a majority of the money. However this wouyld require the players to work and invest (take a risk) at forming a new league but I don’t see them being that innovative, they would prefer to sit around and collect a check from the NFL owners..
good old joe
March 15th, 2011
11:37 am
SEND THAT UNION OUT OF TOWN ON A RAIL .WHY DO A FOOTBALL PLAYER KNEED A UNION JUST PLAY THE GAME .
C G Smith
March 15th, 2011
11:49 am
Mr. Blank,
One of the happiest days of the my sports life was the day you bought the Atlanta Falcons. I truly believed that you could bring the magic to professional sports to Atlanta. And to some respect you have. But I have to tell you, that the owners are WRONG this time. You guys need to stop and take a look around you. Who needs big bells and whistles. People just want to watch a good game. A game where the players are healthy and happy. Strong and at the top of their A game. Be able to buy a decent hot dog and a bag of popcorn and afford to take their families on a sports outing. It’s called back to basics. Its called loving the game. And what that looks like is nowhere near what the owners are offering.
Take a look at the history of American sports. If you guys don’t get it right, we will leave you–Sooner than you think.
Misled Fans
March 15th, 2011
11:51 am
Hey to all of you who are banging the capitalism vs. socialism drum and cannot for the life of you understand why the players display such temerity even asking to see the books. Well folks, it’s because the owners have convinced many of their elected officials to grant them a huge exemption from anti trust laws. That’s right – you all remember the Sherman Anti-trust legislation from decades past??
As for me, Mr. Blank has put a quality product on the field and I thank him for that. He has spent money on his product and in doing so he has increased the terminal value of his frnachise. Good for him. However, I for one will NOT support one dime of public tax money being used for a new facility. The dome is good enough. If Jerry ‘My head is so large My Hair Couldn’t Keep Up’ Jones wants to create a memorial to himself and his team – god love him. But I am not paying for it.
brad
March 15th, 2011
11:53 am
the players are not asking for one dime in more salary. They are not thrilled about giving over nearly 1 billion dollars to the owners. One billion that the owners AGREED to in the last negotiation. This labor deal was supposed to go another two years but the OWNERS opted out early. They didn’t want to live up to the deal they signed. So I don’t see how this is the players fault. The average NFL career lasts 4 years. If I’m in that possituion I would be fighting for everything I could get to. You dolts who side with the owners must love paying for PSL’s, full price for preseason football games, 7 dollar beers and 40 dollar parking.
brandon
March 15th, 2011
11:54 am
I don’t think they really care if there’s a season. They did the 7 day extension a couple of Fridays ago and then took the weekend off from negotiating. Why did they even do that knowing they were taking the weekend off and then they can’t get an agreement done by this past Friday??? Since they don’t care, I won’t care.
Devildog
March 15th, 2011
12:05 pm
Doesn’t matter how much the players get paid. Within a couple of years 85 percent of the oafs will be bankrupt, anyway.
tardawg
March 15th, 2011
12:14 pm
If the players and owners care about me send me 1500.00 to pay my income tax I owe so I want lose my house or go to jail.I was wondering if the owners offered most what smith(nflpa)wanted see Peter King SI article on line why did you decommit,if nflpa wanted to open owners books what about the other way around and see who is getting the money for the nflpa(excective officers) who really want a big raise.think about it.
JSS
March 15th, 2011
12:22 pm
ctfalconsfan
March 15th, 2011
11:36 am
“Now I agree the City and State help finance many stadium deals etc. but is Matt Ryan or Roddy White looking to invest their money into the team or a stadium? NOOOOOOOOOOO!”
I always laugh at this one… Go back and look at how the old American Professional Football Association (the original NFL) was… It was not a bunch of rich guys trying to make maximum profits or hold down player contracts. They were generally a source of civic pride. The game needed organization in order to have a regular schedule. The true founders of the league were “players” like Jim Thorpe! They were being paid to play in exhibitions piece meal and it was intermittent at best…
They weren’t worried about owners getting rich!
By the way, the NFL owners deliberately wrote rules into the ownership by-laws in the late 1980’s to keep the Union or the players from becoming financial partners in the running of or purchasing of teams and franchises,,,
Najeh Davenpoop
March 15th, 2011
12:44 pm
“Hey to all of you who are banging the capitalism vs. socialism drum and cannot for the life of you understand why the players display such temerity even asking to see the books. Well folks, it’s because the owners have convinced many of their elected officials to grant them a huge exemption from anti trust laws. That’s right – you all remember the Sherman Anti-trust legislation from decades past??”
All true, but there is a much simpler explanation. The vast majority of fans pay to see great players. They are not going to pay to see JP Losman and Brooks Bollinger starting NFL games in the place of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. In the entertainment business — of which sports is a part — the “labor” is irreplaceable. In other businesses, labor is for the most part replaceable. This is why a players’ union in sports leagues can have the “temerity” to ask for so much that a labor union in other industries could not.
Bust the union
March 15th, 2011
12:59 pm
The NFLPA should be given the boot……owners should lock ‘em out (did) and give them seven days to come back to work without union affiliation or they will be fired…..the owners should then start over again with players who just want to play football for a reasonable amount of money. What the players are doing is nothing more than blackmail. As far a the owners showing the players ten years worth of financial statements, if I were an owner I would tell them where they can stick that request. And brad March 15th, 2011 at 11:53 am, you just don’t get it, do you?
March 15th, 2011
11:53 am
Elliot Garcia
March 15th, 2011
1:05 pm
You have to admit some NFL players could never find another job that pays the kind of money they make….If working in the NFL is so bad, then quit already….
Jeffrey
March 15th, 2011
1:52 pm
Why should we care about either side of this dispute? They are all spoiled rotten living lives of luxury that most Americans can only dream about. They’re all greedy, which brings me to this question: Why do we, as a public, idolize these people? It amazes me. There are so many others out in the public that never get the attention these clowns get and they are our teachers, policemen (other than the ones that abuse their powers), firefighters, and oh yeah, the rescue workers in Japan dealing with one of the most horrific scenes of modern time. And a special shout-out to the workers at the nuclear power plant who are in the middle of that mess risking their lives and well-being trying their darnedest to prevent a catastrophe of historic proportions. Those are the real heros in my opinion. The NFL, NBA, MLB and all the “stars” in Hollywoood do not deserve any air time.
musicgeekmusic
March 15th, 2011
2:08 pm
For everyone claiming that the owners deserve what they want because they’re the ones risking their money, I ask: What risk? Has an NFL team EVER gone down in value? Ever? There is no risk here. Even if you knowingly put a lousy team on the field, you still make money as an NFL owner and the value of your franchise always increases. The owners want more money because they know the public is sick of paying for owners’ luxury stadiums and now the owners must fork over more of their own money to get their palaces built. And, once those new palaces are built … wait for it … the value of their NFL franchise will skyrocket.
Rob
March 15th, 2011
2:09 pm
If they wanted to fix this strike once and for all, and ensure no other professional team from any sport ever struck again, they would fire all current players, and expand the draft so they have enough players to play ball. In five years, we’d have the the same quality ball we have now, except they new players would be much more appreciated of what they have.
Case in point: Do you think the air traffic controllers will ever strike again?
gcs
March 15th, 2011
2:27 pm
If Arthur Blank was a stock, I would say SELL, SELL, SELL!
.
ctfalconsfan
March 15th, 2011
2:39 pm
musicgeekmusic – As I said the owners are risking their money and even though the NFL is a great return on investment so was the US housing market in 2006, no end in site, buy , buy , buy…
What goes up, can come down!!
If Matt Ryan and Roddy White want to invest in the Falcons and pay travel and Admin costs for a piece of the pie (like Warrick Dunn) then they need to shut up and play.
ctfalconsfan
March 15th, 2011
2:43 pm
Elliot you stated : “You have to admit some NFL players could never find another job that pays the kind of money they make….If working in the NFL is so bad, then quit already….”"”
SOME???? Try ALL as in, no NFL player could find a better paying job than what they get now.
- I’m not counting Brady or Manning being broadcasters.
crossdawg
March 15th, 2011
2:51 pm
To both sides….OINK, OINK, OINK
Rick
March 15th, 2011
2:58 pm
Millionairees and Billionairres bitching over how to spilt the enormous pie?// Absurd! And our Home town hero Arthur [ Jewish ] Blank wanting the fans to build him a outside stadium! Now you see why the Jewish community has all the power and money in America. You noted I worded that very delicately. I’ll guarantee you these discussions had no regards for lowering ticket prices, concessions, parking, so that a middle class american can go to a game? These GREED MONGERS NEED A LESSON IN HUMILITY! I Love Pro Football as much as anyone but sumone like Peyton Manning making 20 million A YEAR?,and he is just a player. No telling how much owners make in jersey sales , anything with team logo on it etc. Why don’t we the people enter these negotions and tell them how it is going to be? Would be a neet little change in Capatilism huh? They play a lousy sport for petes sake, top pay should be 1 million and scale it down, and take care of players injuries for life! I don’t tink people relaize the old timers that put pro football on the map suffering with lingering nasty injuries that they occured while making these billionairres richer. They should be compensated for life. Settling this is really kinda simple More games=more revenue, 70 man roster top 52 negotiate their pay, reserve 18 flat fee 100k or close. Now you have the revenues to do more things with in say a 18 -22 game schedule! Then if you guys still can’t figure out your mess Email me at Bronzeone1@yahoo.com
JSS
March 15th, 2011
3:03 pm
Okay geniuses…
From the NFL Constitution and By-laws
Page 4 Article II Purpose and Objects (Of the Association of Teams known as the National Football League)
2.2 The “League” is not organized nor to be operated for profit.
Read it and read it again… Go to the NFL site and download the pdf… This is not a business, it is an association!
brad
March 15th, 2011
3:05 pm
bust the union…..yes I do get it. I get the owners have an anti-trust exemption..therefore the players should have the ability to see the financial records. Tell me this…has any NFL owner EVER lost money?? I thought not. I’m sick of this so called “risk” the owner take buying an NFL franchise…it is a money making machine…..and why is that by the way??…oh right THE PLAYERS. I believe they take the ultimate risk with the health of their bodies. Thereofre they should be compensated as much as they can get. And they are highly compensated…as they should be. If the owners want a billion dollars more of the revenue then the players have every right to ask to see the books. If you want 20 bucks from me I’m gonna want to know why. Wouldn’t you?
JSS
March 15th, 2011
3:07 pm
Wow, Rick can post that, but the Ledbetter blog filter can holds up my post on the difference between legal and illegal work actions by Federal employees? “Snarky Central lives!”
Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah ha ha ha ha!
JSS
March 15th, 2011
3:16 pm
@ Brad…
No NFL has ever lost a dime since they introduced “Revenue Sharing” unless they were illegally gambling in violation of the Ownership by-laws like Hugh Culverhouse or Leonard Tose when they owned the Bucs and Eagles. Teams did go bankrupt before Rozelle introduced National TV contracts and revenue sharing…
joewhite
March 15th, 2011
4:41 pm
Look sixteen year season ticket holder why ask for money and u dont have a product for us? Once an agreement is in place then i will buy tickets not 5 but 3
bluto
March 15th, 2011
4:43 pm
No one has missed a game yet. So for all of the people blaming the owners or saying they will never watch another game I call BS. You are just a bunch of loud mouthed idiots.
Greg Mendel
March 15th, 2011
5:10 pm
I don’t have a lot of sympathy for either side, but I’ll ponder the issue next time I spend and hour trying to find a single straight board at Home Depot.
Greg Mendel
March 15th, 2011
5:11 pm
Oops. “an” hour.
corsair214
March 15th, 2011
5:24 pm
FANS UNITE TEST. Test one two, test one two, is this thing on.
corsair214
March 15th, 2011
5:43 pm
“FANS UNITE” /NY Jets Chapter
We the fans have the ultimate power. The MONEY. WE pay the owners. FANS UNITE aka F U says, BOYCOTT all NFL products, until the NFL drops it’s prices, and respects the customer. If all we did was watch the games on TV, or listen to the games on the radio (celestial not satellite), and season ticket holders cut cocession sales by 50%, the only other income they have is TV revenue. We can get their attention if we want to. State in all of your posts that you will not buy any NFL merchandise or subscibe to any pay service like RED ZONE, or the NFL TICKET. State that you will watch the game but not any network pregame or post game shows, HBO, SHO, or ESPN highlight shows. If your not a season ticket holder, DO NOT buy any tickets. Pick a sponsor to boycott, there are many to choose from. HIT the products, HIT the sponsors, and HIT the ratings. Visit other sites and spread the word of the FANS UNITE movement (BLITZ). Let everyone know you’re FANS UNITE, and to the NFL we say,…F U !!!!!!!.
PS: Other TARGET ZONES I’m hitting are, the NY Post, Cleveland.com, Boston Herald, SF Chronicle, FOX News, The Philly Enquirer, and the Washington Examiner. ATTACK Dirty Birds! ATTACK!
Dr Richard Handler
March 15th, 2011
6:04 pm
I’ve owned a business and been a union member. Both sides are clearly at fault here. In most businesses, the risk is usually burdened by ownership. However, in this case the players carry much of the risk and the owners almost ZERO! Their bills are paid and money is in the bank before a down is ever played, a ticket sold or a beer and hot dog consumed. It’s time to come together or just have the guts to walk away and call it off, you threaten to call off the season. Do it if you have any —s!
Sid
March 15th, 2011
6:19 pm
JuneBaby March 14th, 2011 7:57 pm
***************************************************
I never said anything about the players not having any rights. Of course they do. Also, if you will actually read what I wrote I didn’t create an alliance between the fans and ownership. I will spell it out for you. Ownership has a right to not share the books with the players if for no other reason other than they are the owners. Go out and buy your own team and you will feel the same way.
Owners and companies make money, you act like they should be hourly employees.
******************************************************
carolyn March 14th, 2011 9:55 pm
Seriously, you think the players are not being compensated enough?? The players are making more than peanuts? You’re a trip girl.
So the players are taking a risk but not ownership? We are talking about a business that is run in order to make a profit. Fans could certainly decide not to go to games……….then what happens to the owners and the players.
***********************************************
Somehow we have convinced ourselves that athletes are required to live a lifestyle commensurate with their salary instead of living in a humble manner and preparing for a possible “risk of physical and debilitating risks” (as Carolyn puts it). We fans provide many of them with a very comfortalbe lifestyle, not the owners. Here is some annual earnings from June 2009 to June 2010 including endorsement income:
#1 Eli Manning $39.9 million
#2 Terrell Suggs $38.3 million
#3 Julius Peppers $36 million
#4 Philip Rivers $32.1 million
#5 Albert Haynesworth $27.3 million
#6 Demarcus Ware $26.7 million
#7 Peyton Manning $24.8 million
#8 Jake Delhomme $22.4 million
#9 Matthew Stafford $21.4 million
#10 DeAngelo Hall $20.8 million
#11 Vince Wilfork $$20.6 million
#12 Nnamdi Asomugha $20.5 million
#13 Kurt Warner $20.3 million
#14 Jason Smith $19.4 million
#15 Brett Favre $18.9 million
Greg
March 15th, 2011
7:27 pm
Why are you reading this article and participating in this blog if you are tired of all this and never are to return?
Jim in Augusta
March 15th, 2011
7:49 pm
Blank’s letter is just a marketing strategy, pure and simple. This whole thing is just big money at the dinner table, grabbing and clawing for the biggest share. There is no right or wrong side, just people wanting more money.
JSS
March 15th, 2011
8:08 pm
Shaking my head again, it hurts when a simpleton tries to equate current wages to long term care (health or retirement)…
1) Most NFL players can not get an insurance company to write a long term medical or ambulatory care policy at any cost. That is why the League is being used as a insurer or last resort.
2) According to the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health, since 1970 the rate of National Heathcare has risen from 6% to 16% of GDP. So, even at a extreme saving curve, a certain blogger thinks a player who was a player during the infancy of NFL free agency could have covered the cost rising at a rate of healthcare inflation? Even now, throwing the extremes of superstar pay, try matching the hyperinflation of healthcare on the true average salary… Go ahead, do some real math and take the cost controls off to match what retired players pay in medical market place… It is at $14.6 trillion right now under the restrictions of medicare/medicaid. Try using private insurer cost…
Sid
March 15th, 2011
11:33 pm
Jim in Augusta March 15th, 2011 7:49 pm
************************************
“just people wanting more money” In a nutshell Jim you nailed it. And really, when you say “more money” just whose more money is it? HELLO fans, deep down we control this whole damn money machine and yet we are helpless in the outcome.
Jim, you know what? It is time for us fans to stake a claim to our fair share. Any ideas how we get a seat at the table……………!!!
DR. FALCON
March 16th, 2011
1:26 am
MR. BLANK IS A CONSCIENTOUS MAN! UNLIKE MOST OWNERS WHO ONLY CARE ABOUT REVENUE AND PROFITS, MR, BLANK REALLY CARES ABOUT HIS TEAM AND ITS FANS. ITS OWNERS LIKE JERRY JONES AND WOODY JOHNSON OF THE JETS, WHO BUILD THESE BILLION DOLLAR STADIUMS THAT LOOK LIKE CASTLES, AND THEN CRY BROKE! MR. BLANK, DISTANCE YOURSELF FROM THE OWNERS, AND MAKE YOUR OWN PATH!! THE LAST TIME I CHECKED, THE OWNERS ARE NOT PART OF A UNION. BRING YOUR FALCON PLAYERS TO THE FACILITY, AND SHOW THE OTHER OWNERS, THAT YOU ARE MAKING A STAND TO BRING THIS THING TO AN END! THIS IS YOUR TEAM! BRING THEM HOME TO FLOWERY BRANCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bust the union
March 16th, 2011
8:48 am
Hey, I own the ball and I can damn well do as I please. You wanna work for me, you’ll play by my rules. I pay your outrageous salary because I have the money to do so. If you don’t like it, go buy your own team and see how you like your employees trying to tell you what to do. As far as I’m concerned, you can take your union affiliation and go straight to……Canada
And take all your fans with you.
Falcons relax...
March 16th, 2011
11:28 am
I have no sympathy for a man who is a BILLIONARE crying hes losing money when his business is growing and wants his MILLIONARE employees to take a pay cut and work harder AND CAN’T PROVE IT. I would want to see the books as well. It would be different if there were at least 3 owners who sold their teams and NFL was losing money. NFL IS GROWING but owners crying. PLus they own other businesses??? No way..
FALCON FOR LIFE
March 16th, 2011
12:45 pm
I have an idea and i am very serious about this. seeing that the owners want a lock out and the NFLPA have got decertified. and both parties really have shown that they do not care about what the fans want. i charge all the fans of all 32 teams for two games only (or more depending what the consensus is) to strike. that way the bilion dollar owners and the millionaire players can see when all the seats in the stadium are empty, that we the fans are the true wallets that put money in there pockets. how do you all feel?
corsair214
March 16th, 2011
8:33 pm
FANS UNITE aka F U/ NY Jets Chapter
How about this FALCON FOR LIFE, all fans listen to the first two games (or more) on radio(celestial not satellite). At the very least folks don’t watch any network pregame or post game shows, HBO, SHO, or ESPN highlight shows. And don’t subscribe to the “NFL TICKET”, “RED ZONE”, phone App’s, or any other pay service. Don’t buy any NFL merchandise, boycott NFL sponsors, and don’t buy any product endorsed by an NFL star. This NY JETS fan stands with you. I am FANS UNITE, and to the NFL I say, F U !!!!!!
SteveAtTheLake
March 16th, 2011
9:36 pm
Proofread your stuff, Mr. Ledbetter !!! Too many mistakes.
Ted
March 17th, 2011
7:50 pm
WHO CARES???? It’s amazing that people are even having a conversation about a lockout with everything else that’s going on in the world. No one cares about these multimillionaire owners or players. They all have places to live, food on the table every evening, and they are not hurting for $$$$$$.
Ted
March 17th, 2011
7:51 pm
“Blank address the fact that fans want to know about the 2011 tickets that they have purchase and the investments they made during the playoffs for two rounds of tickets.”
Do you proofread your articles before they are posted?
Keith
March 17th, 2011
8:01 pm
Though I totally agree with the medical care issue ( funny how most companies now adays are doing everything to cut back on heath care for employee, but everyone supports heath care for the players) Ya think we can get this type of support for the everyday american? I still have issue with both sides, yes Mr Blank is a great owner proff in the product he has provided since he bought the team, he’s still a business man and in that he will do what it takes to provide a good product for the best price. the players got a sweetheart deal on the last CBA, they know it we know it and the owners realized it soon after it took place, so yes they need to give back, but it is hard to put the genie back in the bottle once it’s out. D Smith does not impress me as a man who whats to make a deal, very forceful and very driven he wants to WIN, at all cost. some of the players are also coming across that way D. Brees, for all hios apolgies is coming across as win at all cost, What the players and owners don’t seem to take into account or for that matter care or understand is the average fan can never understand or agree with the decision to not sit down and work this out. SOme or out of work for the last couple of years, and the little enjoyment they have is watching football. last year I spent 600 for tickets to see the Falcons come here to Seattle, were they the cheapest tickets no, I wanted to enjoy the game and not sit in nose bleed seats, so yes I paid a lot more, but I had to save for 6 months to pay for those tickets, and that does nto include the parking the souvenors the food, for 2.5 hrs of enjoyment, then there the jerseys I bought before the game. Now lets compare the players, who get provided shoes jerseys, get endorsement deals get paid to come sign autographs etc. I don’t begrudge them those extra ernings but to sit here and complain that they are basiclly “Slaves” boy that was REALLY out of line for a certian unnamed player, so come on guys start thinking about the joe that’s sitting at home with his 100 jersey that he bought to support the team, that might be unable to afford a cobra payment for his medical, or the guy that just spent 5000 bucks building his “Man Cave” Falcons room with all the items needed to deck it out right, now what’s he gonna do? I don’t know about you but if you can’t fix this, then I have quit a few options college football has been great the last couple of years, and HS foootball at least ya know most of them are playing for the love of the game, You guys go ahead cut off your nose to spite your face, just remember how long it took baseball to recover
FACTS
March 18th, 2011
12:09 am
Real Falcon fans are glad to have him as an Owner, I just hope he is not being politically correct. You could put any owners’ name on that letter head, it would not be worth the paper it is printed on. Money is the root of all evil = it will even stop a NFL season, which is the most profitable pro sports in the U.S.A……………WTF
anon
March 18th, 2011
6:18 am
Drew Hill Warren Moon’s Favorite receiever had a Massive heart attack yesterday and will not recover.
He is one of the top 20 wide reciever of all time & one of the best partiers ever in the NFL. He’s at the Piedmonnt Hospital on Peachtree st in Atlanta 5th Floor.