Ah, the NFL lockout, how I love thee.
After yesterday’s debacle where the owners approved a new labor deal and then the players decided not to vote because they didn’t like a couple minor issues, it’s come to this.
The players have decided not to do anything until Monday and the owners have decided to tell the players, “take it or leave it you fucking assholes!”
Okay, maybe they didn’t say that exactly, but Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy did tell local reporters the league is done negotiating.
“We’ve put our pens down,” Murphy said. “We’ve negotiated in good faith with the union. We’ve reached an agreement on all the key points.
“They know what we ratified and they’re voting to ratify the same thing.”
What does that mean?
Well, if Murphy is a man of his word, it means the players will either have to approve the same labor deal the owners did, reform their union and get the hell back to work or we’re at a stalemate that’s going to make this goddam, ass-fucked situation drag on for some time.
Had the players voted and approved the deal today, team facilities would have been open Saturday and free agency would have started Wednesday. That schedule will be pushed back.
If the players decide to approve the deal on Monday, facilities could open Tuesday.
Before anyone jumps on the players, there was a semi-valid reason they decided not to vote today. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s wife’s funeral was held this morning.
There was speculation the players would vote in the afternoon, but they decided against it, saying the decision was made out of respect for the Krafts.
So, we wait another weekend.