Thread: Players Decide Not to Vote on CBA Today......

No deal yet but why doesn't that surprise me? These guys never seem to get anything done until the hangmans noose is around their necks, the blindfold is on, and the trap door is ready to be sprung. I don't get what more they want to see on the table but I can see them needing more time to digest the offer. Why can't they just say that instead of implying that they may be looking for more?

Here's what Jason LaCanfora and NFL.com have to say about it. This is getting frustrating isn't it?


Players meet but won't vote Wednesday on new labor deal

• 
• By Jason La Canfora NFL Network
• NFL Network Insider
• Published: July 20, 2011 at 10:42 a.m.
• Updated: July 20, 2011 at 06:02 p.m.
• Liked: 42 | Comments: 334

• 
• By Jason La Canfora NFL Network

• Players won't vote Wednesday on labor deal to end lockout
• Not done yet: Key issues remain unresolved in labor talks

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NFL players will not vote Wednesday on any labor deal to end the lingering lockout, a source with knowledge of the situation told NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora. The NFL Players Association's executive committee and representatives of all 32 teams met Wednesday in Washington, but some participants left in the afternoon after reviewing portions of a tentative deal.
What's next?
With owners and players on the verge of a new CBA, NFL.com legal analyst Gabe Feldman takes a quick look at some of the things we can expect over the next 24-48 hours.More ...



Two NFLPA officials emphasized before their meeting Wednesday morning that the 32 player representatives won't be rushed as they review paperwork. NFLPA president Kevin Mawae, a retired player, and NFLPA spokesman George Atallah, spoke to reporters about the players' ratification process.

"Our goal today is to see what's on the table," Mawae said. "Make no mistake, the players are not in a rush and are not tied to the timeline of July 21 (Thursday). Our timeline is the timeline that gets the best deal for the players. "Whether it's today or tomorrow, we're not going to agree to any deal unless it's the right deal." Having all 32 player reps together in Washington is a positive, Mawae said.

"We're in a good place -- all our guys are here," Mawae said. "The process is what we need to worry about. Today's meeting with our board is not to OK a deal and move forward. Our board is here, (so) if the deal in its totality is the right deal, they will pass it on."
NFL owners are meeting in Atlanta, where in 2008 they voted to opt out of the collective bargaining agreement with the players. And it's in Atlanta where, maybe as soon as Thursday, owners could vote to agree to a new CBA that will end the lockout .

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and nine of the 10 members of the owners' labor committee gathered at an airport hotel Wednesday to go over the final terms of a settlement that lawyers have been hashing out for weeks, with the final touches having been worked on through late Tuesday night. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who is on the labor committee, wasn't expected to participate because his wife died Wednesday, at age 68, after a battle with cancer.

Members of the labor committee will discuss any concerns and go over any questions with lawyers and members of the NFLPA, if needed.
From that point, the committee will explain the elements of what could be a new CBA to all 32 owners -- or team reps -- who will arrive Wednesday night and meet en masse Thursday. If 24 of the owners agree to ratify the terms of the deal, a new labor pact should be finalized and the ugly standoff that eliminated most offseason activities, kept players away from their teams and created fan angst and frustration could be over.

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There is a chance that the players' vote actually could take place by the time the owners gather to ratify the deal. If so, the owners' decision -- it is expected to be ratified -- would be the rubber stamp of approval. From there, operational members from each team -- up to four from each franchise have been invited to Atlanta -- will almost immediately be given a tutorial as to how the league will re-start. Issues such as when players can report to team facilities, free agency rules, training camp procedures and salary-cap issues will be at the forefront of those discussions.

Several coaches and general managers said they hope to get players into facilities immediately to have players take physicals, gauge their fitness, get them in classrooms and get re-acquainted. Training camps will start as soon as next week if a deal is ratified, and teams would like a few days to iron out those details before taking the field. A frenzy of player activity, maybe unprecedented, also is in store. Teams should learn soon how quickly they can sign draft picks, negotiate with their own free agents, sign undrafted rookies, make trades, cut players and sign free agents.

NFL.com senior writer Steve Wyche and The Associated Press contributed to this report

Well it's about 4:00pm EDT and I still haven't come across anything yet as to whether the players voted to accept or whether the owners voted to accept. I'll keep searching and will post as soon as I see any news about it.

This is the latest news I can find so far and it's from this AM. No vote yet by either party but owners optimistic. Players not so much.




Owners, players work toward separate votes on new labor deal

• NFL.com Wire Reports
• Published: July 20, 2011 at 10:42 a.m.
• Updated: July 21, 2011 at 11:51 a.m.
• Liked: 79 | Comments: 768

By NFL.com Wire Reports



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As NFL owners gathered for their meeting in Atlanta, their lead negotiator, Jeff Pash, said he expected the league and its players to continue working toward separate Thursday votes on a new collective bargaining agreement that would end the four-month-old lockout.
"It's obviously a complicated agreement, but I think both sides are at the point where they can close, they should close, and we should be in a position to take votes," Pash said Wednesday.

The 32 player representatives did vote Wednesday at the NFL Players Association's headquarters in Washington, but it wasn't the type of vote that was expected. Instead of simply approving the draft that lawyers and staff had been working on for the last month, the reps conditionally passed it to the Brady plaintiffs, sources told NFL Network reporter Albert Breer.
So, what's next?
With owners and players
on the verge of a new labor deal, NFL.com legal analyst Gabe Feldman takes a look at some of the things we can expect in the next
24 to 48 hours. More ...

» Report: No side deals for Brady plaintiffs
» Super Bowl planners ready for Feb. 5


In other words, the proposal will go to the 10 plaintiffs involved in the Brady antitrust case only if the league meets certain conditions in settling that piece of litigation, and also the TV rights fees case, in which players accused owners of setting up a $4 billion lockout-insurance fund.
"We still have a lot of work to do," Atlanta Falcons offensive lineman Tyson Clabo told The Associated Press as he left the nearly 10-hour meeting.

The players also empowered NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith, their legal counsel and the 13-man executive committee to work out the remaining issues, according to sources. One is the players' pursuit of $320 million in benefits lost as part of the 2010 uncapped-year rules, which were negotiated in the 2006 labor deal.

The good news is, outside of a few minor issues, the players were amenable to terms that would serve as a new labor deal, should the NFLPA re-certify as a union. The Brady plantiffs -- which include quarterbacks Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees -- also would have to sign off for any settlement to be reached.

Logan Mankins and Vincent Jackson, two of the 10 plaintiffs, are holding strong to their request for $10 million as part of the antitrust settlement, one of a number of issues that relate to the plaintiffs in that case, a source tells NFL Network's Albert Breer Thursday. The NFLPA executive committee will not recommend that player reps vote on any deal until both lawsuits are resolved, multiple sources told NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora, and it's unknown when that will be.

"I think that's the healthy outcome," Pash said, "to have a complete, comprehensive, global agreement that settles all the disputes and puts us on a path where we are going forward together as business partners, the way it should be, rather that going forward with one hand and fighting over something that should be in the past."

Pash said he wasn't worried about the players' decision on Wednesday. "It doesn't impact it at all," Pash said. "We're going to continue to work with the players. We'll find out if there are issues that still need to be negotiated, and we're going to work cooperatively with them through the evening and try to have something in place that both sides can vote on tomorrow morning."


Members of the NFL's labor committee will discuss any concerns and go over any questions with lawyers and members of the NFLPA, if needed. And a future vote by player reps could be taken via conference call or other means.

"I can't speak for what was going on in their caucus, but it's a long, complicated agreement, and there are a lot of issues," Pash said. "We're talking about entering into an agreement that would last for quite a few years, hopefully bring a lot of stability to our relationship for many years to come, and understandably, that is something that people want to take their time and think through."

Before Wednesday's meeting, NFLPA president Kevin Mawae cautioned not to assume the lockout will be over by the weekend, saying his group was "not tied" to a deadline for having a deal done by Thursday. "We want to go back to work, but we will not agree to a deal unless it's the best deal for the players," Mawae said. "Our goal today is to see what is on the table and discuss outlying issues," he added. "The players are not tied to a July 21 timeline. Our timeline is that which gives us the best deal for the players -- today, tomorrow or whatever it might be."

If the lockout is going to end in time to keep the preseason completely intact, the parties almost certainly must ratify the deal by Thursday. The St. Louis Rams and Chicago Bears are scheduled to open the preseason Aug. 7 in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio -- leaving the league and players a timeline that Pash called "tight." "It would be pretty challenging," Pash said when asked if the game will be played. "That's one of the things we'll have to focus on."

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and nine of the 10 members of the labor committee gathered at an Atlanta airport hotel Wednesday to go over the final terms of a settlement that lawyers have been hashing out for weeks. The owners broke up for the evening, but Goodell, members of the NFL legal team and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones remained to continue talks.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who is on the labor committee, didn't participate in the five-hour meeting because his wife died Wednesday after a battle with cancer.

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Kraft's son, Patriots president Jonathan Kraft, will represent the family at Thursday's meeting, which is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. ET. Jonathan Kraft will return home Friday for his mother's funeral service, according to the team.

If owners do vote Thursday, at least 24 would need to OK the deal. If it's also passed by the players, team executives would be schooled later that day and Friday in Atlanta in the guidelines and how to apply them. Topics would include the 2011 NFL calendar, rookie salary system and new free-agency rules.

Several coaches and general managers have said they hope players can report to team facilities immediately to take physicals and get re-acquainted. Training camps would start as soon as next week if a deal is ratified, and teams would like a few days to iron out those details before taking the field.

A frenzy of player activity, maybe unprecedented, also is in store. Teams should learn soon how quickly they can sign draft picks, negotiate with their own free agents, sign undrafted rookies, make trades, cut players and sign free agents.

NFL Network reporter Albert Breer, NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora, NFL.com senior writer Steve Wyche and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

And this follows about 4 hours later. Both Mankins and Jackson have denied asking for anything in the way of a separate settlement fron their participation in the class action lawsuit brought by them and others like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Drew Brees. Where in the hell does this stuff come from and why has this been reported as they did ask for this for several days only to be denied by them now?

Agent denies Logan Mankins asked for special treatment

Frank Bauer says Mankins didn't ask for anything Aaron Wilson
Print ThisSend ThisJuly 21, 2011, 04:37 PM EST
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The agent for New England Patriots offensive guard Logan Mankins has denied asking for special treatment due to his status as a plaintiff in the federal class-action antitrust lawsuit. Frank Bauer, Mankins' agent, told ESPN that the Pro Bowl blocker hasn't asked for anything. According to reports, Mankins was demanding either $10 million or be declared an unrestricted free agent in exchange for giving up his individual plaintiff rights.

“I think it’s really unfair what has happened to Logan Mankins in media characterizations that he is making monetary demands or holding up a settlement," Mankins said. "Logan Mankins is a young man who was encouraged and solicited into a lawsuit to help the union spearhead a new agreement. Logan’s main concern for entering into as a plaintiff was to see if he can become free and help other players have less restrictions.

"For people to say he has made monetary demands, he hasn’t made any such demand. We don’t know terms. We haven’t talked to [NFL Players Association] Jeff Kessler. There has been no communication but it’s irresponsible to report Logan has made monetary demands. Are we disappointed there has been no communication? Hugely. He trusted the union and Kessler to fight for Logan Mankins and the other players.”

Meanwhile, San Diego Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson has also denied that he asked for special perks.
"I made no demands," Jackson said. "I wanna play ball like the rest of my peers!”

Follow me on Twitter: RavensInsider

Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for the Carroll County Times

So we have a report from the NFL Network, NFL.com, and AP and it's contributing writers; Albert Breer, Jason LaCanfora and Steve Wyche all saying that Mankins and Jackson have made these demands through their agents and then an article from NFP which quotes Mankin's agent as denying it. WTF???????

This all appears to be a cluster fuck set to music. I mean really, who is digging all these tidbits of apparently erroneous information up? Not only are Mankins and Jackson not wanting to press the issue on being compensated by the league, they're ready to play football. So, what the f*ck? WHY NOT GET THIS SON OF A BITCH OVER WITH AND PLAY SOME FOOTBALL?!

Originally Posted by Dagan81

This all appears to be a cluster fuck set to music. I mean really, who is digging all these tidbits of apparently erroneous information up? Not only are Mankins and Jackson not wanting to press the issue on being compensated by the league, they're ready to play football. So, what the f*ck? WHY NOT GET THIS SON OF A BITCH OVER WITH AND PLAY SOME FOOTBALL?!

Yeah, I'm with ya' there Dags. I'm gonna start posting anything new in Benji's CBA Vote thread in the Bears Forum for now. Since it's now almost minute by minute stuff we might as well keep it in the one place everyone looks at.