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Agents, players, owners, fans, you have been warned. DeMaurice Smith, the NFL Player Association’s (NFLPA) Executive Director, is preparing for the worst. At the same time, he’s warning agents to do the very same for their players. The current collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the NFLPA is set to expire after the 2020 NFL season.
As pointed out by Bleacher Report’s Adam Wells, this has been a subject that is of growing concern and awareness around the NFL, with Adam Schefter reporting that coaches have started to work language into their new contracts to protect them from the possibility of a lockout in 2021. The NFLPA’s official Twitter account quote-tweeted Schefter, pointing out that the same thing had occurred in the 2011 lockout, which lasted from March 12, to July 25.
These contract provisions were also seen in the lead up to the 2011 lockout ?. Take note. https://t.co/iiBry4MRey
— NFLPA (@NFLPA) January 13, 2019
According to Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal, Smith sent an email to agents, stating, “We are advising players to plan for a work stoppage of at least a year in length.”
NFLPA Exec Dir De Smith sent an email out to all NFL agents this morning, advising them to urge player clients to save money in the event of a work stoppage.
"We are advising players to plan for a work stoppage of at least a year in length," the letter states.
More in SBD.— Liz Mullen (@SBJLizMullen) May 28, 2019