NFLPA Hiring Financial Firm Suggests NFL Could ‘Open The Books’

On Tuesday Jim Trotter of SI.com reported the NFL Players Association had hired International Investment Bank “to help it review any financials the league might release.” Implicit in that statement is that the players think there’s a chance the league will “open the books”.

One of the union’s best negotiating points is that the league says the current revenue model is broken but they refuse to prove it by sharing information on their financial status. The current CBA allows some financial information to be shared but not enough, according to the NFLPA.

In the last week, reporters like Peter King of SI.com have strongly suggested the league may consider sharing more financial information. Trotter’s report that the union has hired someone to review financials that they don’t currently have implies that the league may indeed be sharing more information.

The union has reportedly said in negotiations that they need more financial information to do a deal. If the NFL declines, and the war between the two sides goes to court, the NFL will likely end up having to share much of that financial information anyway. So, applying some logic, why not open the books now and avoid a court battle?

If this does mean the league shares more information, this could be a big development in the talks between the two sides. The biggest debate currently lies in the distribution of the over $9 billion in revenue. Perhaps the NFL sharing more information will spark some movement on that debate.