Eagles latest letter to the fans.....

[Jukin]

Just makes you all warm and fuzzy doesn't it? These assholes had better get this shit resolved soon!!! From the Inquirer.....

Eagles' brass keeps up correspondence with fans

POSTED: March 29, 2011




Eagles chairman Jeffrey Lurie and team president Joe Banner sent a letter to season ticketholders this week to update them on the NFL meetings and the labor situation. This is the second letter they have sent to fans since the lockout. Here is the text of the letter:


We know you are interested in the status of our labor negotiations and preparations for the 2011 season. Having just returned from New Orleans earlier this week, we wanted to take a few moments to give you a report.


The focus was on football as well as the status of our efforts to reach a new collective bargaining agreement.


Football first: we had vigorous discussions on a range of football matters with special emphasis on player health and safety. We are, as you have read, moving the spot of kickoffs to the 35-yard line and allowing the kicking team only a 5-yard running start to the kickoff. We modified instant replay so that all scoring plays will be checked by the instant replay assistant in the booth and reviewed by the referee if necessary. We are also continuing to discuss how to best limit hits to the head and expand protection for players in a defenseless position. NFL football will remain a tough sport, but we are committed to making it safer and reducing injuries.


On collective bargaining, we reviewed the status of the union's litigation as well as the current work stoppage. We want to assure you that we want this resolved. We believe we offered a fair proposal that would pay the players an estimated $19-20 billion over the next four years, 2 billion more than they made over the previous four. There would be no pay-cut for players, only a slowing in the growth rate of their compensation. The proposal included a wide range of other improvements for both current and retired players. Contrary to what you may have read, we offered to provide to a third-party accounting firm the 2005-2009 club-by-club operating profits, along with audited financial statements, so that the union would know the league's profitability in those years and the number of clubs that have experienced declines in profits.


We are very disappointed that the players chose to not respond to this offer and instead, went to court.


We know that we will have a collective bargaining agreement with the players' union at some point. Commissioner Goodell has called on the NFL Players Association to immediately resume negotiations. The owners support the Commissioner and are ready to meet at any time to come to an agreement. We have great respect for our players, admire what they do, and the sacrifices they make.
We will continue to keep you informed and we truly appreciate your support of the Philadelphia Eagles.


Sincerely,
Jeffrey Lurie
Chairman & CEO


Joe Banner
President



Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/...#ixzz1I0huuENc
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[Eagle60]

They demand that the players take a cut, lock them out, and then actually expect you to believe they're really giving them a raise. I don't think so.

[FRESH]

"There would be no pay-cut for players, only a slowing in the growth rate of their compensation. "

Am I the stupid one here?

[fly]

I'm assuming that even with a % decrease over the next few years, the total pie growth would still result in growth for the players. But I also assume that they are in fact asking for the % to the players to go down.

Just more spin...

[Eaglebreath]

"There would be no pay-cut for players, only a slowing in the growth rate of their compensation. "

Am I the stupid one here?

No. He's playing slick. The players who are already under contract aren't going to take a cut. The salary cap will simply go down and everyone else is going to have to deal with the consequences going forward. Don'tcha just love lawyerese??

[Jukin]

"There would be no pay-cut for players, only a slowing in the growth rate of their compensation. "

Am I the stupid one here?

Lurie's comment makes sense from the Owners perspective. They haven't asked the players to reduce the amount they're being paid NOW (that would result in a pay cut) but to reduce the percentage they get in the future. So if the league earns an additional 3% next year instead of the players getting 1.8% (60% of the 3 point increase) and the owners getting the remaining 1.2% the players percentage would drop and the owners would increase. While technically not a pay cut it is certainly a cut in future payments. The owners are spinning this so they sound reasonable but it's like Clinton redefining what "sexual relations" means. The general public isn't stupid (with the exception of West Virginia, all media members and of course Dallas fans). Trying to play word games only makes the owners look like the greedy s-o-b's that they are!

[FRESH]

OK, then we are in agreement. That was lawyer-speak, owner-spin of the highest magnitude.

It's like they expect people to just see the one part and go...."See, they're not giving the players a pay cut...they're the GOOD GUYS! Players bad, owners GOOD!" LMFAO!

[Eagle60]

The player's release:

Kinda funny-this is the player's response to the owners paying this month's benefits:

NFLPA reacts to NFL press release
Mar
30
3/30/2011 7:56:33 PM | More


Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post reports the NFL Players Association has reacted to the NFL announcement from earlier today that it's about to deposit $177 million toward player benefits with the decertifed playes' union saying the league should announce that the lockout is over in its next press release.

"NFL players would like to thank the NFL for issuing a press release touting their contractual and legal obligations," the NFLPA said in an e-mailed statement. "If it wasn't for players, namely John Gordy, players wouldn't have any benefits. The next press release that comes from the NFL should announce that the owners have lifted the lockout, the ultimate benefit to players and fans."

[Blitz]

Maybe the NFLPA shouldn't have decertified and stayed at the table to continue to bargain. If they want to talk about doing the right thing that would have been a good first step.

[sfphillyfan]

I don't know why these guys think these letters help. It doesn't.

What fan is falling for their bullshit?

Typical NFL owner arrogance.

[tinopuno]

I don't know why these guys think these letters help. It doesn't.

What fan is falling for their bullshit?

Typical NFL owner arrogance.

It would be interesting to see the results of an accurate survey of fan opinion. While anything but statistically accurate, the sentiment expressed by posters on PFT since the players "walked out" has benn consistently and overwhelmingly in favor of the owners.

The attitude reflected in many of the pro-owner posts is so angry, bitter and one-sided that you might almost suspect a PR scam being pulled by the NFL in an attempt to sway public opinion. You get a strong sense of envy regarding 'outrageous' player salaries combined with a lot of condescending remarks about player stupidity/cluelessness and even some openly bigoted comments. It's surprising and a bit disappointing but also tends to support my belief that roughly 60% of all Americans are basically ignorant, intellectually lazy assholes with the taste and attention span of a turnip. (for evidence please refer to the popularity of America's Team)

While there is certainly no shortage of greed and arrogance on both sides of what is a complicated mix of issues, I tend to side with the players simply because I don't trust the owners or their pawn, Goodell.

[stocknowledge]

Well said, Tino! My sentiments exactly!

[fly]

It would be interesting to see the results of an accurate survey of fan opinion. While anything but statistically accurate, the sentiment expressed by posters on PFT since the players "walked out" has benn consistently and overwhelmingly in favor of the owners.

The attitude reflected in many of the pro-owner posts is so angry, bitter and one-sided that you might almost suspect a PR scam being pulled by the NFL in an attempt to sway public opinion. You get a strong sense of envy regarding 'outrageous' player salaries combined with a lot of condescending remarks about player stupidity/cluelessness and even some openly bigoted comments. It's surprising and a bit disappointing but also tends to support my belief that roughly 60% of all Americans are basically ignorant, intellectually lazy assholes with the taste and attention span of a turnip. (for evidence please refer to the popularity of America's Team)

While there is certainly no shortage of greed and arrogance on both sides of what is a complicated mix of issues, I tend to side with the players simply because I don't trust the owners or their pawn, Goodell.

I think it's actually quite simple. I suspect that most people don't really care who "wins" just so long as it ends. People want football.

BUT ... both sides are willfully waging PR battles (which, hey, i don't know how much PR really influences one side or the other to cave). Speaking of lazy, ignorant comments ... have you seen some comments from the players? The letter from Lurie, while self-serving and one-sided, was not as outrageous as things that AP, Weaver, or the NFPLA boycott stuff. So yes tino, the players are losing a PR battle that they themselves are engaged in. The less they talk, the more sentiment I think you'd see for the players.

I remember during the season Marcellus Wiley saying something like (and I may not be remembering it perfectly), that the fans need to understand the issues and get behind the players on this. When he was told, "dude, fans don't care" his reply was, "well, they need to care." It bordered on asking/blaming the fans to make sure the players were taken care of. I know -- one guy saying stuff. But it adds up.

[Vet Turf]

the less said in public the better. Frankly the public can't help. Both sides have money stashed away and are acting worse than a 5 year old. I am waiting for someone to be called a poopyhead. The players take health risks but no money risks, the owners take huge money risks but no health risks. Both seem to discount the other's position, which is sad b/c I'll bet common ground could be reached quickly on 75% of the issues. Its the off-season so the fans couldn't care less anyway. So my advice to them is STFU and get it done.

[tinopuno]

I think it's actually quite simple. I suspect that most people don't really care who "wins" just so long as it ends. People want football.

BUT ... both sides are willfully waging PR battles (which, hey, i don't know how much PR really influences one side or the other to cave). Speaking of lazy, ignorant comments ... have you seen some comments from the players? The letter from Lurie, while self-serving and one-sided, was not as outrageous as things that AP, Weaver, or the NFPLA boycott stuff. So yes tino, the players are losing a PR battle that they themselves are engaged in. The less they talk, the more sentiment I think you'd see for the players.

.

You'll never find me arguing that the majority of the players aren't representative of the general ignorance and intellectual laziness that I believe is all too common in our society as a whole. And it's certainly true that the players would be better served if most of them would just STFU, and that includes the obnoxious dwarf that is the union head.

But while stupidity is annoying, nothing offends me more than hypocrisy and being lied to by a person or people who think they're slick. And when it comes to being 'slick', the players and their spokespersons are rank amateurs compared to Goodell and some of the more visible owners. In deed, over the past year I've gone from being an admirer of Goodell to really despising him because of his inconsistent and deceitful positioning on such issues as player safety, play abroad, season length, $1 annual salary etc etc.

When this asshole announces from on high that "The fans want an 18 game season" or "I'll work for $1 until this thing is settled" or "We're ready to resume negotiations any time any where", I want to jack him up by the scruff of his pasty neck and scream in his face, "DON'T LIE TO ME YOU SLIMY ASSHOLE! FUCK OVER ME IF YOU WANT BUT DON'T LIE TO ME AND TELL ME YOU CARE ABOUT ANYTHING OTHER THAN WHAT YOU CAN SQUEEZE OUT OF MY WALLET!"

He is nothing more than a shill for hire and, while a few of the owners may be men of honor who are devoted to the game, many of them impress me as lying, shameless, money grubbing shit bags.