The National Football League, as part of a larger statement this morning, officially locked out the players. The fact that it has come to this proves the deep fissure that exists between the NFL Owners and players. Of course, it is us, the fans, that get the shaft, while hundreds - if not thousands - of team and league employees are in danger of losing their job.
The union, of course, blames the owners for planning for years to lock them out. They say decertification was the only way to protect themselves and force the owners to let them play.
The owners, obviously, say they were forced to lock out the players after the union walked away from Federal mediation, thus refusing to negotiate:
The union's abandonment of bargaining has forced the clubs to take action they very much wanted to avoid. At the recommendation of the Management Council Executive Committee under the authority it has been delegated by the clubs, the league has informed the union that it is taking the difficult but necessary step of exercising its right under federal labor law to impose a lockout of the union. The clubs are committed to continuing to negotiate until an agreement is reached, and will gladly continue to work with the FMCS.
What about you? So what do you guys and gals think?