Last week when it was announced the NFL lockout was over, free agency could begin and training camps started up, most people thought the lockout was, you know, actually over.
NFL Lockout: Roger Goodell Retains Power To Discipline In New CBA
Well, it is -- kind of. The settlement between the players and owners is done but the actual CBA isn’t quite completed as there were a few issues the two sides could only discuss once the players returned to union status, one of those being the system used to discipline players.
Previously, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was the judge, jury and appeals man in all discipline matters, something that bugged the players, who wanted some sort of third-party or multi-person crew to determine discipline. In the new CBA, which could be completed on Thursday as scheduled, Goodell will retain that power, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Steelers player rep Ryan Clark talked on Wednesday and indicated the players didn't want that to happen.
“We feel like someone else should be on there; there should be some ... type of way -- actually someone who’s not on the NFL payroll,” Clark said. “A big issue, for us, especially, as a team, is Roger Goodell ... being judge, jury and appeals system.”
Clark described it as a “deal-breaker” for the players but apparently not if the ESPN report is accurate.
If the two sides agree on the final details of the CBA, those veteran free agents that have been sitting out can practice on Thursday.
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