NFLPA Increasing Yearly Player Dues To Establish Lockout Fund

The NFLPA yesterday sent out a notice to agents that active NFL player dues for the '09 and '10 seasons are being increased from $10,000 to $15,000 per player in order to create a “dues lockout fund.” NFL player agents’ annual membership fees have not been affected, sources said. For players, in addition to the flat annual $15,000 dues, those who are eligible to receive the equal share licensing royalty payments due them by NFL Players, Inc will have their dues increased by that amount as well for '09 and '10. In past years, that payment equaled approximately $10,000 per player -- which means dues for those players will equal about $25,000. The NFLPA statement said the purpose of the dues lockout fund is to pay players out of that fund if there is a lockout in '11 when the players are not working. The NFL CBA expires in March '11 and the two sides have not made progress in labor talks (Liz Mullen, SportsBusiness Journal). PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Mike Florio noted each player will be "entitled only to receive in the event of a lockout the amount of the money that he has contributed," essentially the "dues payments plus the withheld royalty amounts." The NFLPA basically is "waiving dues payments for the next two years, and forcing players to save $15,000 each year, plus the amount of their group licensing royalty payments" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 9/21).

DOME Dilemma: In Minneapolis, La Velle Neal III notes the NFL yesterday said that the Packers-Vikings "MNF" game scheduled for October 5 "will not be moved to Green Bay to accommodate a Twins one-game playoff" if one is needed. The Vikings' lease with the Metrodome states that the team has "precedence over the Twins in every situation other than a World Series game." Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission Exec Dir Bill Lester said that if the Twins have to play a tiebreaker game, the "best solution" likely would be Tuesday, October 6 (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 9/22). Twins President Dave St. Peter said, "I suspect it'll sort itself out over the next week or so. We're more concerned about getting home-field advantage than what day the tiebreaker game would be played on." St. Peter added of the potential conflict, "It would certainly be a fitting way to end our time in the Metrodome" (DETROIT NEWS, 9/22).