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Jets and Giants React To NFL Lockout
By
Ben Yakas
Published Mar 13, 2011
Modified Mar 13, 2011
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Mar 13, 2011
Modified Mar 13, 2011
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With the NFL and the players union unable to come to an agreement about how to share the more $9 billion in profits that professional football generates every year, the NFL entered its first lockout in more than 20 years. The Jets and Giants both reacted to the news with tempered optimism: "It may take longer than we all had hoped, but New York Jets fans should know that a deal will get done and I remain confident that there will be NFL football in 2011," said Jets owner Woody Johnson, who went on to place blame on the players union for not negotiating more. Giants team president and CEO John Mara released his own statement directed toward Giants fans:
Where we are today serves no positive purpose for you, for our players and for the National Football League. Although we had hoped and expected to have an agreement by now and are disappointed that we do not, we remain as committed as ever to returning this process where it belongs, which is the negotiating table. We are convinced that what we have stated many times remains true, that there will be a new agreement and there will be a 2011 NFL season. It is just a matter of when we are able to reach an accord on the current issues.
The impatience and the displeasure we know you are feeling is completely understandable. We can only assure you that the point of the entire process is to make our game as strong as it can possibly be and to enable it to continue to grow for the good of everybody -- the league, the players and the fans.
The last thing we wanted is for the business end of our sport to play out this way. We know people frankly don't care how owners and players manage their business. These negotiations distract and detract from what is most important to all of us: the game.
Mike Lupica drew the parallel today between this fight and other similar union battles happening around the country, such as Wisconsin: "[it has] become every fight you have ever seen between unions and management in this country, no matter what the stakes. Deadlines expire, bargaining ends, the whole thing becomes a pageant of name-calling and lawyers. It makes the bottom of the pile in an NFL game look enlightened." But as the Times points out, this is a battle which will be waged in court for now, with the sides having filed injunctions and antitrust lawsuits.
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Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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