The NFL's standard player contract "doesn't have any language about a force majeure" and "neither does the CBA," according to Ben Volin of the BOSTON GLOBE. That means it is "pretty simple: no games, no payment of base salary or per-game bonuses, which is the majority of compensation for most players." In other words, players get their base salary and bonuses "only when games are played," and it gets "trickier if the NFL were to condense the schedule to, say, eight games." This all "could be negotiated with the NFLPA, but the likeliest scenario is that players are paid prorated amounts for games actually played, as in 1982." Additionally, shortening the schedule or canceling the season "likely would require more negotiations between owners and the NFLPA, most notably over the issue of how many games would constitute an accrued season for free agency and post-career benefit purposes" (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/5).
DIFFERING OPINION AMONG AGENTS: NFL agent Alan Herman said, "I hate to think it, but I can't look at this and be optimistic that we're going to have a season." Herman: "If one guy gets the virus in training camp, forget it. They're going to have to close the whole thing down." But agent Drew Rosenhaus said, "By the time we get to the season in September, hopefully there has been enough time to put together a system, whether they play the games without fans, whether they have a system of testing everybody on a daily basis to make sure everyone's healthy. ... There's still enough time to plan a way to have a season" (NEWSDAY, 4/6).
