Well, after Roger Goodell made headlines earlier Wednesday for announcing that in the event of a lockout, he’d reduce his salary to $1, the pendulum swung back toward the NFL Players Union. And for his part, Players Union president DeMaurice Smith has pledged to reduce his salary to just 68 cents if the league agrees to a deal before the Super Bowl.
NFL Players Union Chief DeMaurice Smith One-Ups Roger Goodell
Really. This is where the negotiations are right now. Would it make it better or worse if I told you that Smith made his announcement on Twitter? Well, um, he did. His exact words:
NFL executives reducing salaries in the event of a lockout? If we have a deal by Super Bowl, I'll go down to 68 cents
Of course, it’s all transparent, meaningless posturing. Perfect for Twitter! And for Smith’s part, there’s virtually no chance an agreement will be reached before the Super Bowl, so it’s not like he’s taking some bold stance as the martyr of the negotiations process. On Goodell’s side, whatever money he sacrifices during a lockout will be moot.
If the NFL does go forward with a lockout, the longer it lasts, the more likely a deal will be reached that favors the NFL owners and, by extension, Roger Goodell’s bank account. So what are we really talking about here? Ab-so-lute-ly nothing. And that, my friends, is your best sign yet that there will be a lockout two months from now.
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