Are you ready for some football?!?!?! For realz!

It's over, it's over. The 136 day lockout is finito! Once again, it holds true that football does not really start until end of July! However, just as I predicted it was one hell of a roller-coaster ride to get to this point, from the Owners' vote last Thursday (gratuitous link due to this very bLawg getting cited) to today, but I do not think it is premature to say that the lockout is over and there should be football in the near future!

Players Stuff the Rush

Just as I imagined, NFL players are not moving so fast on a vote on the NFL Owner's ratified agreement, with many stating that the owners may have tried to sneak in some non-agreed to terms. Also, as I mentioned, the players are not so quick to recertify their union and they are not happy that the Owner ratified agreement would interfere with their decision to reform as a union. NFL Network Reporter Albert Breer Tweeted:

Just filed a story on a second email from NFLPA to player reps, breaking down issues with deal and, in particular, recertification timeline. Email says NFL's rough timeline violates fed labor law: "Those laws prohibit employers from coercing their employees into forming a union."

The players may not be unfounded with this claim, as Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act provides that “[e]mployees shall have the right to self-organization, . . . to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, . . . and shall also have the right to refrain from any or all of such activities..." The players may be able to make a successful claim that the deadline to re-certify violates Section 7 of the NLRA.

More to come...