Deadspin: In The Name Of Competitive Balance, The NFL Plays The Bully And The Tyrant

[WoodysGirl]

By Barry Petchesky
Mar 13, 2012 10:20 AM

The NFL is a dictatorship masquerading as a benevolent dictatorship. In redistributing $46 million in salary cap space from the Redskins and Cowboys to the rest of the league, the NFL is enforcing laws that don't exist, playing Robin Hood with blackmail, and generally continuing a tradition of arbitrary, paternalistic horse**** that in a just world would have antitrust lawyers salivating.

It's not a just world, of course. It's the NFL, where they can publicly humiliate and financially chastise two of the richest, most powerful, most visible and most hands-on owners. They can flat-out tell Dan Snyder and Jerry Jones "we don't like the way you do business" and come up with a retroactive punishment based on no extant rules and dare them to do anything about it. And Snyder and Jones can't, because their strange bedfellows in this mess, the NFLPA, was bought off. "What're you going to do about it?" the NFL scoffs, already knowing the answer.

Let's go over what happened here, because it is amazing and incredible and a simple recitation of facts defies belief. Because of an expiring CBA, there was no salary cap in 2010. Washington and Dallas, because they have good accountants, took advantage of this by frontloading player contracts—paying a ton of money in the uncapped year in exchange for paying less in later years. The players didn't mind because they were getting their cash either way, and the teams benefited because they'd receive a discount on future cap hits.

Read the rest: http://deadspin.com/5892791/

[Rockytop6]

By Barry Petchesky
Mar 13, 2012 10:20 AM

The NFL is a dictatorship masquerading as a benevolent dictatorship. In redistributing $46 million in salary cap space from the Redskins and Cowboys to the rest of the league, the NFL is enforcing laws that don't exist, playing Robin Hood with blackmail, and generally continuing a tradition of arbitrary, paternalistic horse**** that in a just world would have antitrust lawyers salivating.

It's not a just world, of course. It's the NFL, where they can publicly humiliate and financially chastise two of the richest, most powerful, most visible and most hands-on owners. They can flat-out tell Dan Snyder and Jerry Jones "we don't like the way you do business" and come up with a retroactive punishment based on no extant rules and dare them to do anything about it. And Snyder and Jones can't, because their strange bedfellows in this mess, the NFLPA, was bought off. "What're you going to do about it?" the NFL scoffs, already knowing the answer.

Let's go over what happened here, because it is amazing and incredible and a simple recitation of facts defies belief. Because of an expiring CBA, there was no salary cap in 2010. Washington and Dallas, because they have good accountants, took advantage of this by frontloading player contracts—paying a ton of money in the uncapped year in exchange for paying less in later years. The players didn't mind because they were getting their cash either way, and the teams benefited because they'd receive a discount on future cap hits.

Read the rest: http://deadspin.com/5892791/

Barry hit the nail on the head. I wished this article was placed on Goodell's desk and the desk of every team owner. It is apparent the other owners have no shame. How can they ever look JJ and Danny in the eyes? Probably with a smirk on their faces.

[trickblue]

Game.Set.Match.

Great piece...

[Outlaw Heroes]

About the only thing the author appears not to have gotten right is the suggestion that Jerry can't do anything about this. Jerry isn't afraid to sue (or be sued by) his fellow owners, including specifically for antitrust violations, if he did not agree to this penalty as part of last year's CBA negotiations (my suspicion is that this was among the concessions he and Danny made to get the deal done).

In Dallas Cowboys Football Club, Ltd. v. NFL Trust, No. 95-civ-9426 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 18, 1996) Jerry challenged the agreement among NFL teams that allowed NFL Properties control over team marks. The Cowboys alleged that “[t]he marks of the member clubs are not of equal, or even comparable, value,” At the time the Cowboys accounted for one-third of NFL merchandise and twice as much as the second highest team. Jones argued that NFL Properties' exclusive licensing constituted collusion in violation of section 1 of the Sherman Act.

[JonJon]

Hoofbite's picture has now gone viral.

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/17gb6h4c1kqc6png/original.png

Good to know that others are paying attention to this board.

[noletime95]

Great piece, but the $20MM to Peppers was a signiing bonus in 2010, per Adam yesterday. I don't know about the other contracts, but I'd be curious if anyone can confirm if those figures are valid? If they are, wow.

[StanleySpadowski]

Great piece, but the $20MM to Peppers was a signiing bonus in 2010, per Adam yesterday. I don't know about the other contracts, but I'd be curious if anyone can confirm if those figures are valid? If they are, wow.


Those figures are inaccurate

[burmafrd]

About the only thing the author appears not to have gotten right is the suggestion that Jerry can't do anything about this. Jerry isn't afraid to sue (or be sued by) his fellow owners, including specifically for antitrust violations, if he did not agree to this penalty as part of last year's CBA negotiations (my suspicion is that this was among the concessions he and Danny made to get the deal done).

In Dallas Cowboys Football Club, Ltd. v. NFL Trust, No. 95-civ-9426 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 18, 1996) Jerry challenged the agreement among NFL teams that allowed NFL Properties control over team marks. The Cowboys alleged that “[t]he marks of the member clubs are not of equal, or even comparable, value,” At the time the Cowboys accounted for one-third of NFL merchandise and twice as much as the second highest team. Jones argued that NFL Properties' exclusive licensing constituted collusion in violation of section 1 of the Sherman Act.

exactly. The NFL is gambling that Jerruh and Danny Boy will not do this. I would love for both of them to file suit. And then watch the NFL start to backpeddle

[Hoofbite]

Great piece, but the $20MM to Peppers was a signiing bonus in 2010, per Adam yesterday. I don't know about the other contracts, but I'd be curious if anyone can confirm if those figures are valid? If they are, wow.

Yeah, for some reason Spotrac hasn't got the numbers right.

[cowboy_ron]

I can't believe that JJ and Snyder are just going to let this go

[ringmaster]

exactly. The NFL is gambling that Jerruh and Danny Boy will not do this. I would love for both of them to file suit. And then watch the NFL start to backpeddle
If I'm Jerry, or Danny in this situation I would sue the pants off the NFL for this ***** move.