Showing posts with label NFL owners. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NFL owners. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Retired Players Try To End NFL Lockout

A new twist has emerged in the battle between NFL owners and players that could potentially eliminate next season's lockout. Four retired NFL players, including former Chief’s running back Priest Holmes, filed a federal class action, antitrust lawsuit against the NFL on Monday. These players hope their actions will break the NFL lockout.

One big development in this suit is the inclusion of draft-eligible prospects. College players awaiting next month’s draft are not represented by the union, and therefore cannot be held accountable for its decertification. However, the NFL lockout is affecting these players, and the suit argues that it is rediculous to hold a draft in April and then lockout the players drafted.


The suit appears to be in good hands, as it is led by attorney Michael Hausfeld of the Washington D.C.-based Hausfeld LLC. Hausfeld has a history of winning complicated cases such as this one, and could possible force the NFL owners into a corner. It is good to see that for the time being, there is some hope for an end to the lockout.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

NFL Owners OK New Rule Changes

The NFL owners have passes several new rule changes that will take place whenever we have football again. Out of the five proposals that were voted upon by the owners, four ended up passing, meaning fans will see a slightly different game in 2011 (hopefully).

The first rule passed, and the most significant change, was moving the kickoff spot to the 35 yard line. This was done largely as a safety measure, however it has drawn a strong opposition from some of the NFL's most dangerous return men. While I understand the NFL is trying to improve safety, this new rule almost eliminates big returns, some of the most thrilling and game changing opportunities in the sport. Strong-legged kickers will be able to boot touchbacks with ease. The NFL also debated moving the starting position after a touchback to the 25 yard line, however this failed to pass.

The other major rule change is instant replay - now the booth official will have to confirm all scoring plays and will review other plays as well. This is similar to college's instant replay system, and allows coaches of visiting teams a more level playing ground (replays that would benefit opposing teams are usually not shown during games in the stadium).

So in the end, the NFL got the replay rule correct, but failed in its attempt to better player safety. The league needs to find ways to keep its players safe without dramatically altering the game, which is what it is doing with the new kickoff rules.

DISCLAIMER

This is a legally confirmed "open forum" website that is not responsible for any content posted within. The opinions, articles and comments on this site do not reflect the opinions of the owner of this site, or it's subsidiaries.