It was quite obvious Judge Nelson was not going to stay a decision in which she filed an 89 page decision on the matter. And it is obvious the 8th CA is the next move for the NFL. This is where the Houdini acts will happen. The NFL will not start business during the Draft; plain and simple. Next week is plausible, but not during the NFL Draft.

What is interesting is how the NFLPA* (I love the asterisk PFT) will continue to move forward without a CBA. The NFLPA* says the NFL is in violation of anti-rust laws, but agrees with the draft process, so the NFL PA* will no longer be able to re-certify and represent the players if the draft is in place in future years, because that would be an anti-trust violation absent a CBA. If there is no union to represen the players, then that is REALLY giving all the power back to the owners which is exactl what the NFLPA* says it does not want for its “players”. Hmmm…

So which is it NFLPA*? You can’t have your cake and eat it too.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1780892522&play=1

It’s not as simple as it sounds just adding two regular season games in place of two regular season games. This is part of the current TV deal already in place (20-game slate). If the players and owners agree to two more games it is a win-win financially for all! TV gets more money, owners get more money, players get more money, and fans get more football!

The problem is TV gets more money, the owners get more money, players get more money (and injuries, thus the trade-off), and the fans spend more money! (but get more football too!)

As the saying goes, “It’s NOT about the money, it’s about the MONEY!” (yes, I wrote that correctly)

I was in Atlanta for the 1994 and 2000 Super Bowls (XXVII and XXXIV, respectively). In 1994, the weather was great and there were no weather issues. In turn, this prompted the NFL to schedule a future Super Bowl for Atlanta. However, when the NFL decided to return to Atlanta for Super Bowl XXXIV, the weather was disastrous. While the daytime activities were usually not affected by the weather, the evening activities were grossly affected. There were numerous wrecks, cars sliding on bridges, many people forced to stay in their hotel rooms, and many night time events canceled for precautionary and safety reasons.

I recall seeing two accidents within 100 yards of me where one car swerved after hitting a patch of “black ice” on a surface street over pass of Interstate 85, and soon there after another car came over  the same bridge and suffered the same result. This was a constant theme during the busy weekend leading up to Super Bowl Sunday.

For all the fans, visitors, spectators, local residents, and party-goers out there be careful and know, Texas may be God’s Country when it comes to football, but if Mother Nature has her way, this may be the first and last Super Bowl in Dallas, TX for a very long time.

If the NFL (owners) decides to present a last minute “take it or leave it” offer to the players and the players balk, it will be hard for the players to have a sustainable argument to call for a strike.

It is clear the owners are not happy about the terms of the current labor deal of which they opted out of in 2008.  What we have is a high stakes game of poker, chess, or chicken (insert your analogy here) between the owners and the NFLPA.  Barring some cataclysmic event, I can assure you as of March 5, 2011, at 12:00am, there will be an official work stoppage of NFL football.  This is when the story will truly become interesting, because the NFLPA is cocked and loaded with the threat of DE-CERTIFICATION, and the owners are cocked and loaded with more time and money than the players (individually).

While both parties want to agree on a new labor agreement, neither party in a huge rush to get a deal done at this time, because there is no real financial pressure (other than fans and media) as of yet to get an agreement in place. The owners are going to likely call the bluff of the NFLPA to decertify which would cause a landslide of multiple lawsuits against the NFL and truly threaten the prospectus of NFL football in 2011.  I do not expect the NFLPA to decertify right away when the clock strikes midnight on March 5, despite having the authority to do so as voted by the current players.  It is disastrous for everyone financially (owners, players, fans, etc.) if the NFLPA de-certifies.

The question it not whether or not there will be a work stoppage, but the better question is “for how long?”  The NFLPA will have the pressure of players due to receive roster/reporting bonus payments in the new League Year breathing down their necks, however, the players looking to receive such payments is smaller than the amount of players who are not receiving such bonuses. Most players of this group set to receive these types of bonuses are generally well set financially to weather a few months without those payments.  The true test for the NFLPA and its players’ solidarity will come as the scheduled beginning of the 2011 NFL season gets closer – in September.

Fast forward 11 years, and Ahanotu has been ordered to give up his ring to pay for legal fees to the tune of $130,000.

“This court system is a farce,” Ahanotu said. “This court wants a man to hand over his once-in-a-lifetime accomplishment to pay some damn attorney’s fees? I could see if it was going to pay something for my children or my ex-wife.”

Ahanotu claims he cannot afford the $130,000 in legal fees that he owes over a custody battle with his ex-wife.

“I don’t have $130,000,” Ahanotu said. “It’s been a long time since I played in the NFL.”

Ahanotu is listed as the President and CEO of Magellan Entertainment Inc, a full service talent management firm and claims to represent World Champion Sprinter and World’s Fastest Man Usain Bolt from Jamaica.

After 12 years in the NFL, and managing Usain Bolt, how does a person not have $130,000 to pay for pending attorney’s fees?

Another sad story about athletes mismanaging their money, or better yet a story as to how athletes’ money is mismanaged right in front of their eyes.  Rogers is only 29-years old and has already lost a fortune that many never see amassed in two lifetimes.

And for those who are paying attention, Andre Johnson, was drafted the very next pick after Rogers in 2003, in still in the NFL, an on March 3, 2007, the Texans signed Johnson to a six year extension; the deal is worth $60 million and includes $15 million in guarantees.

Hopefully we do not hear about his financial problems in a few years.

Hall of Fame NBA player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recently voiced his concern over this seemingly growing epidemic of  today’s “precocious kids from high school” being given too much money instantly before actually “earning” the money by going to college and becoming “very polished”. He proposes that kids stay in school and not be allowed to enter the NBA until 21 years of age. Is this a blatant violation of a right to make an honest living in this world? A violation of anti-trust law in the United States, a bitter old man who is just jealous he never was afforded such lucrative monies, or simple common sense that would benefit the player and society as a whole by reinforcing educational values as a necessary priority?

Court records show that Derrick D. Coleman claimed to have had only $5,999.00 in personal cash and savings at the time of his bankruptcy filing. What is even more amazing is that he reported his clothing, furs, and jewelry value of $30,000. WOW!  Despite a $700,000 judgment awarded in favor of Coleman in 2003, he is yet to collect on this debt further crippling his ability to get back on his feet.

How many people would ever think the #1 overall draft choice in any sport would ever file for bankruptcy and be fighting to keep the home his mother lives in? Why that is even an issue, is baffling to me. I would not ever want to have his financial advisor advise me on anything if he could not advise a guy who made millions of dollars over his sports career to pay off his homes. Especially the one you have your mother living in!