Upshaw Expects NFL Owners To Opt Out Of CBA By November

Upshaw Expects NFL Owners To Opt Out Of CBA By November

The first of two "early termination deadlines" for NFL owners to opt out of their current CBA is November 8, and NFLPA Exec Dir Gene Upshaw said that he "expects the owners to notify the union by then that they're ending the labor deal early," according to Mark Maske of the WASHINGTON POST. Upshaw said of the owners: "They're more dug in than they were the last time. They've basically said they want changes and they're going to do the early opener. There's no doubt in my mind that's where this is headed. We haven't had any formal discussions about their position, but what I've gathered is they don't like the deal." The deal guarantees NFL players 60% of "an expanded pool of revenue known as 'total football revenue' under the salary cap." One NFL owner said, "It's too expensive for the clubs. It's a bad deal. A lot of people realize that now." Maske notes the labor issues "almost certainly will be discussed" at the annual league meetings, which begin March 30 in Palm Beach. Upshaw said that he believes the owners "will give strong consideration to a lockout of the players in 2011." But Upshaw noted before the players "would allow themselves to be locked out ... they likely would decertify the union." Upshaw said that the players "won't agree to a reduction in the salary cap," and that owners "can't justify claims of hardship in an industry in which annual revenue ... soon will approach $9[B]." Upshaw: "They know exactly what they agreed to. They just don't want to pay the players what they agreed to pay them" (WASHINGTON POST, 3/19).