[rQUOTEr]An offseason turned upside down will continue to get odder. The NFL Players Association is putting into place a plan that would prevent each top college prospect from attending next month's draft in New York, according to multiple league sources. The NFLPA already has contacted 17 top prospects that ordinarily would have received an invitation to attend the draft and informed them not to go. Thus, when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announces the name of the first player selected, the player will not walk on to the stage at Radio City Music Hall as has been the custom. And the player will not be there to do interviews with ESPN or NFL Network. The draft will go on, but not in the manner in which it has been conducted before. "As of right now, this is 100 percent happening," said one source familiar with the Players Association's thinking. "This is going down." 2011 NFL Draft The Players Association even has gone so far as to consider placing the players on another competing network to do post-pick interviews, though no final decisions have been made. Another source said that, in this day and age, it's possible that the top prospects also could appear on a social media network platform, only. "We plan to invite the 15-20 top prospects and their families to New York as we normally do for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. And, as always, it is the decision of the players and their families as to whether they attend," league spokesman Greg Aiello said in response to the report. While the NFL has always paid the expenses for the invited players and their immediate family to attend the draft, the league said it would not pay players a fee in an attempt to have them present this year. Last Friday, the union decertified, meaning it declared itself out of the business of representing players. In exchange for giving up their rights under labor law, the players are able to take their chances in court under antitrust law. Although it no longer represents players, the NFLPA still exists "as a professional trade association with the mission of supporting the interests and rights of current and former professional football players," it said after decertifying. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft2011/news/story?id=6216135 [/rQUOTEr] Embarrassing the opposing party sounds like a smart negotiation tactic.
CFL will emerge as the winner here. This is welcome news for me and the other 10 people who watch it.
seriously.. this is the sad part here. fulfilling a lifetime dream of walking on to the stage as a high pick in front of all the lights, fans and on national television to receive your jersey.
yup...way to put the kids on the spot as they negotiate rookie salary caps and other restrictions for them...
I really hate that the NFLPA is dragging the undrafted kids into this. Let them wait on the sideline while you guys fight it out.
The undrafted players don't really have a dog in this fight since they don't have a say in the proceedings that are taking place. All they know is that they've spent the last 20 years of their lives working for this moment, and it's about to be taken away for no reason other than petty vindictiveness. I think the NFLPA dragging them into this is cheap. Really, really cheap.
Hadn't thought about it but this doesn't surprise me at all. Everything is now bitter between the union and NFL and they will poke each other whenever possible.
If youre a kid coming into the nfl. you want to be on the players side. the owners are the ones trying to cut rookie salary, for good reason.
NFLPA denies a draft boycott is on the agenda. It may have just been a trial balloon to gauge public reaction, which gave them a chance to reverse course. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft2011/news/story?id=6220232
