Not long ago the NFL released their final proposal made to the players union, which was eventually rejected as the players moved to decertify.
Now, the NFLPA has responded on NFLLockout.com (NFLPlayers.com is still down) with their own list of reasons why they felt the NFL's final proposal just wasn't enough.
Here are the "issues which prevented a new NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement from being reached":
- The NFL demanded a multi-billion dollar giveback and refused to provide any legitimate financial information to justify it.
- The NFL's offer on March 7 to give the NFLPA a single sheet of numbers was NOT financial disclosure. The players' accountants and bankers advised that the "offered" information was meaningless: only two numbers for each year.
- The NFL wanted to turn the clock back on player compensation by four years, moving them back to where they were in 2007.
- The NFL offered no proposal at all for long-term share of revenues.
- NFL demanded 100% of all revenues which went above unrealistically low projections for the first four years.
- The NFL refused to meet the players on significant changes to in-season, off-season or pre-season health and safety rules.
- The NFL kept on the table its hypocritical demand for an 18-game season, despite its public claims to be working toward improving the heath and safety of players.
- The NFL wanted cutbacks in payer workers' compensation benefits for injured players.
- The NFL sought to limit rookie compensation long after they become veterans - into players' fourth and fifth years
- THE PLAYERS WANT TO KEEP PLAYING
- The players offered repeatedly to continue working under the existing CBA, but were rejected by the NFL five times.
- Despite publicly admitting no club was losing money, that TV ratings, sponsorship money, etc. were at an all time high, the NFL continued to insist on an 18-percent rollback in the players' share of revenues and continue to deny the NFLPA's request for justification.