There are currently meetings being held regarding a new collective bargaining agreement between NFL owners the the NFL Players’ Association. Some of the items up for discussion created excitement among fans when they were first leaked. Among these items is a 17th game in the regular season. In addition, a third wild card team would be added to each league. This would mean only the top seed in each conference would get a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Many NFL players, however, do not view the new agreement as a positive thing. While not all details have been made public, several players have taken to social media to express their opinions on the proposals and why they disagree with them. Among the loudest dissenters is the usually soft-spoken quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers Voted No
Rodgers took to Twitter to detail why he voted against the proposed agreement. In his post, Rodgers referenced conversations with teammates and that most of the Packers’ players did not approve of the agreement:
“My decision to vote No is based off of the conversations I have had with the men in my locker room that I’m tasked to represent.”
One of the faults Rodgers found was with the proposed extra game. He cited the need for players to recover in the offseason. If an extra game were to be added, there would need to be more rest for the players after the season. In his opinion, the NFL did not do enough to make sure this would happen:
“With an extra game added to the schedule, added risk, and longer stretches before and after the bye week, we felt (it) was important to address adding more offseason recovery time. “
Rodgers consented that some of their ideas for recovery time were addressed. However, he also felt that there were not enough to justify adding an extra game. This is most likely the main reason why Rodgers voted No.
Other Players Agree with Rodgers
Many NFL players, including Richard Sherman, praised Rodgers for his stance. Sherman had this to say via Twitter as he shared Rodgers’ post:
“Health and Wellness of our men is always the most important aspect. There is no price you can put on that and that is why I Voted No.”
The NFL players have made it clear that they want a deal similar to those of the players in MLB and the NBA. These deals are more player-centered and focus on player health and wellness. It could still be a few more weeks until the NFL and NFLPA are able to reach an agreement.
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