Four years from now, it is likely that when you turn on your TV or radio, or stream on your electronic device, on a Sunday afternoon, you won’t find any football. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires in 2021, and Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith said as soon as the agreement ends, a work stoppage will likely begin.
Many fans may think that four years is enough time for the players, owners, and league officials to hash out any differences. But there has been growing tension among all parties over the past few years. Much of it comes down to criticism over player discipline and the way the league has handled Adrian Peterson’s child abuse case and the “Deflategate” incident involving Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Most recently, the league has been criticized for its suspension of Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott. When texts from Elliott’s accuser came to light in the media, the NFL released a statement that the players union was responsible in order to discredit the woman. The players union fired back that the NFL was lying.
Smith said a bone of contention with the players is they feel they have not seen all the benefits the owners promised in the CBA that was agreed to in 2011. The 2011 deal came as a result of owners opting out of the CBA of 2006. The NFL was locked out until the start of pre-season, when that contract was approved, with no opt out option for the owners.
Another sign a players strike is likely is the fact that officials with the NFLPA have already told players to start setting part of their salaries aside in the event of the worst case scenario. In 2011, the union took out a $44 million insurance policy to pay each player $200,000 should the season be cancelled. Some players, such as Vince Young, however, took out high interest loans to get them through the lockout, which resulted in financial issues for them down the road. NFLPA officials said the fact many players did not save money ahead of time to get them through the work stoppage is one reason they were forced to accept a CBA they feel benefited owners more than players.
While the 2011 lockout did not impact the regular season, the same could not be said for the work stoppage of 1987. That strike began after Week Two, and the league had to cancel Week 3. Replacement players took to the field for the next three weeks before both sides hammered out a deal.
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