It is a different side from glamorous NFL competition that we saw on TV. Several NFL teams have announced furloughs or payroll deductions for their office staff and even coaches during the current NFL lockout. The longer the lockout goes, the antsiest owners will get. The owners are banking on the NFL Players Association cracking first. While players won’t start losing game checks until the regular season begins, many have lost contract bonuses for organized team workouts. It’s the reason owners have fought so hard for the lockout in court. It is reported that Coaches are siding with the players.
In other news, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday that the league still intends to play a full season this fall but the time is nearing when the lockout will imperil the chances of a full training camp, preseason and 16-game schedule. Several owners has also expressed similar sentiments. During the NFL lockout, teams have suffered a drop in ticket sales for next season, Goodell said, though he provided no details.
The league and players are scheduled to resume court-ordered mediated talks in Minneapolis on June 7. The NFL Coaches Association filed an amicus brief with the appeals court supporting the players’ legal effort to have the lockout ended. The trade association for coaches, which is not a union, shares office space with the NFL Players Association in Washington.
