Why nfl lockout 2011

The owners said the old labor deal didn't take into account the rising costs related to building stadiums and promoting the game. The players argued that the league had not sufficiently opened up its books to prove this. The good thing is, the only way to talk about these things is if you're a union. The compensation issue was resolved when both side embraced an "all revenue system" as the basis for player compensation, according to an NFLPA news release.

Both sides over the weekend discussed details that players wanted resolved, including the contractual handling of player injury, an opt-out clause in the year deal and, "most pointedly, the potential timeline for the recertification of the NFLPA NFL Players' Association as a union," the NFL said. In a bid to reduce injuries, the pact eliminated "two-a-day" practices, set a maximum of 4.

It also limits off-season workout requirements. Player representative Jeff Saturday acknowledged that the lockout "has been a roller coaster for the fans," but he echoed the cheerfulness from both sides: "With dialogue, things began to happen," said Saturday, a center for the Indianapolis Colts, "and With the signing of the deal, the clock begins to roll on the season, beginning with the league's publication of its free agency list. Louis on June 3.

May 17, Mediation stalls in the wake of the Eighth Circuit Court granting a permanent stay of the lockout. The court has already granted the NFL's request for a temporary and permanent stay of the lockout. Significant progress towards a new collective bargaining agreement is made during this month. July 5, Labor talks move to New York City. Owners and players resume face-to-face negotiations on July 7 and 8.

Instead of granting leverage to the NFL, the ruling allowed for the players to ask Judge Nelson if the lockout applied to rookies and players without contracts. That issue may have created a sense of urgency on the league's side to get a deal done. July 14, Significant progress is made in New York City , setting up a scenario for a potential agreement the following week when Judge Boylan, on vacation in Ireland, is scheduled to return to the negotiations. July 21, Owners vote to approve collective bargaining agreement in Atlanta, turning matter over the players.

Though the Oakland Raiders abstained. Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Part of that reasoning likely was that while the players were on strike they had no health insurance, meaning they would have been responsible for their own injuries suffered on the field.

The strike also caused huge problems for TV networks, which had to scramble to replace some of its most valuable airtime. The owners tried to hold off as long as they could, believing that their loss of game day funds was far outweighed by the lack of income for the players. The strike finally ended Nov. The union gave up its request for 55 percent but did get a 1. Almost two months -- seven weeks -- had gone by without a game, which meant that the NFL had to implement a new structure for the remainder of the season.

The regular season was only nine games, followed by a "Super Bowl Tournament" that featured the top eight teams from each conference, instead of using the normal divisional structure.

For the first and only time in NFL history, two teams with losing records made the playoffs. The Washington Redskins won the tournament by beating the Miami Dolphins. Players told him free agency is the highest priority since only one of about eligible players got a free-agent offer in This time, the strike was because of the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement and more disagreements on free agency.

But the NFL was more prepared the second time, quickly replacing the striking players with replacement players -- some of whom had been put on standby by team owners anticipating a strike. The union called the strike on Sept. But by the next weekend the league had replaced striking players with replacement teams, which played the next three weeks.

Ultimately 85 percent of the players sat out during the strike before returning for the seventh week of the season, starting Oct. Because of that, many players crossed the picket lines, some extremely quickly. As it became clear that the replacement games were earning the same airtime and public interest, the union was forced to go back to work on Oct. The players finished the rest of the season and the next two years without a CBA in place as the legal battles between the union and the league continued.

The court ruled that as long as the players were represented by a union, they had no right to sue owners under antitrust laws. For the players to sue, they would have to disband from the union, which they did, leading to changes in free agency rules.

In , players filed an antitrust lawsuit in the name of Eagles defensive end Reggie White, leading the two sides settle on the current collective bargaining agreement, establishing the "NFL system. In exchange, owners got a salary cap to curb spending on payrolls. That deal was the closest the two parties had come to a work-stoppage since , but then-NFLPA head Gene Upshaw and then-commissioner Paul Tagliabue were able to work out a deal late.

In May , the owners decided to opt out of the agreement and play the season without a future bargaining agreement in place and so without a salary cap. The collective bargaining agreement was scheduled to expire on March 3, , but the two sides agreed to a one-week extension.

A group of players, led by Tom Brady, Drew Brees and others, became the plaintiffs in an antitrust lawsuit against the league. The lockout was briefly lifted via court order in late April, but was re-instated via an injuction by a higher court just days later. The lockout eventually stretched into July, delaying the start of training camps and jeopardizing preseason games. On July 22nd, , the owners ratified a new agreement by a vote of with the Raiders abstaining. The NFLPA did not immediately vote on the agreement, instead taking the weekend to hash out specific details of both the agreement itself and the recertificiation process.

Though no regular-season games were lost due to the lockout, the annual Hall of Fame Game was canceled, and free agency was forced to run concurrent with the start of training camps. The NFL Lockout lasted days, running from the end of the previous collective bargaining agreement on March 11, to July 25, , with a brief interruption when the lockout was lifted via court order in late April.

The seeds of the lockout began in , when the NFL owners opted out of the previous agreement, leaving to be played without a salary cap, and setting the expiration of the CBA for March 1, Commissioner Roger Goodell visited several training camps during the summer before the season, talking to players about the process and learning their concerns about the new proposals.