How would you resolve the labor dispute?

[ggp]

The lockout has dominated football talk for quite a while now. It is ridiculous to see a 9 billion dollar business managed in this manner. To date, all we have seen is a series of posturing and jockeying for leverage.

The owners jumped first and opted out of the CBA agreement. It is important to note that the owners contractually had the right the right to do so. Clearly, some owners were not in agreement with the CBA when it was signed. Several probably agreed to the agreement with the provision that they could opt out, if they were unhappy. The owners also introduced the notion of an 18-game season. It didn't make sense, but was used as an early chip in this high stakes game of poker.

The NFLPA countered with decertification and a series of law suits that could get tied up in the courts for months, as possibly years. Threats to challenge the legality of the draft were also thrown in to rattle the cages. Many fans criticize M. Smith for his tactics, but he is simply representing his clients to the best of his abilities. His is a trial lawyer and he feels most comfortable taking his issues to court.

So, what should be done? I admit that I am naive about the inner workings of corporate law, but I'll give it a stab and I encourage anyone else to add their suggestions. This is all about money, so let's approach it from that angle. Star players garner the greatest influence in the NFLPA and they are the ones that have to be appeased first. Conversely, small market owners are the ones most opposed to the previous CBA, so they are the ones that need help.

The owners have asked for 500 million dollars back. The players quickly rejected the offer. If the owners are really serious about the amount of money they need, they should ask for the 500 million once again, but offer two points to the players:

1. More liberal free agency. They can start with the Franchise Tag. The original idea of franchising a player made sense, in order to keep stability in the league. Unfortunately, the tag has been abused and needs to be reigned in. I suggest that every team be allowed to use the franchise tag once every four years. In that manner, teams can still keep their most important player but will need to think long and hard about their moves. Additionally, players should be granted unrestricted free agency earlier. It will be up to the teams to renegotiate wanted players earlier.

This move serves to give the most influential players what they covet most.....access to the free market. The move can work for the owners because it is not a fixed or hard cost. Teams, like the Steelers will allow players to leave and simply make intelligent choices during the off season. Poorly run teams, like the Redskins, will continue to make expensive mistakes. It will be up to the owners to make the best decisions for their team. The smart prosper and the foolish suffer......that is a foundational principal of this country. The important thing is that teams that are strapped for money will have the opportunity to economize. Salary cap rules will still keep owners from going totally bonkers.

2. Open a fund to research player safety. The league should formally kick in about $50 million/ year into a player safety fund. The fund would be managed by a committee of owner reps, as well as players. The money would go into investigating equipment and rule changes that can be implemented to reduce head and neck injuries.
The players should be very interested in such a move for obvious reasons. The owners should also be motivated because they need to reduce their risk for work safety litigation in the future. Concussions are getting a lot of interest lately, and the owners need to protect themselves from major liability suits that will likely start to appear in the courts. Proactively finding solutions is the best way to avoid major problems down the road.

3. Rookie wage scale is pretty much a slam dunk. Such a policy helps both the owners and players. Owners are protected against catastrophic financial gambles and veteran players will have a larger money pool. I am convinced that this issue is a common ground.

4. Owners should give players seats on the competition committee. To my knowledge, players do not have much say in the rules of the game. I think it would be wise to allow players to contribute their opinions. Safety should be the highest priority. It would make sense to give the players a significant voice in these matters and, it would not cost the owners a dime.

That is it for now. I'd be interested to see what others think. Am I completely off base? Do you have better solutions?