IF the NFL Cancels 2020 Season - What would it look like?

[Mondio]

Now that’s what I call direct deposit

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[XPack]

So for argument sake, lets pretend the 2020 season is cancelled for everyone. My questions are:

• Are any of the players paid their salaries including newly signed rookies? Yes. They'd still get paid. No incentives though.
• If a players contract expires at the end of the 2020 season, will the cancelled season effect that or just like any year, they become a free agent next March? I assume yes. Yes.
• With the NCAA cancelling, how will that effect eligibility of players? Would most get that season back? How does that effect the draft pool? I'd assume people would still graduate at end. We can have a draft without needing a season.
• Would knowing that there wasn't going to be a 2020 season or a good possibility of it, change your approach to the upcoming draft? No. Best player on board is a evergreen concept!

Even if both the NFL and college programs are able to hold their seasons, when will they be able to start practicing again? How will the layoff effect injuries and play? Not material. We'll take it day by day.

 

[longtimefan]

Now that’s what I call direct deposit

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To bad **** hub is free for a while other wise this would been good joke

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

With the NCAA cancelling, how will that effect eligibility of players? Would most get that season back? How does that effect the draft pool? I'd assume people would still graduate at end. We can have a draft without needing a season.

If college football doesn't have a season, I believe that everyone keeps that year of eligibility, at least that is what they did with cancelled Spring sports. Obviously, some will want to jump right to the NFL, some might not. College teams could become stockpiled with guys from the 2020 class, so not sure what that does for scholarships and their incoming Freshman class, since technically, each college program would have 5 eligible classes. I thought I read that extra scholarships will be allowed for the Spring sports next year.

As far as the 2021 NFL draft, that should be fun for scouts and GM's, having to look at 2019 film to assess players. Guys that haven't played football in 16 months or more. The number of booms and busts from such a draft will probably set records.

Are any of the players paid their salaries including newly signed rookies? Yes. They'd still get paid. No incentives though.

That could put quite a dent in some of the teams war chests. I am going to believe that one when I see it. Players recently signed to one year contracts, with no guarantees would just get cut before the final roster cut downs.

 

[Do7]

To bad **** hub is free for a while other wise this would been good joke

I just realized you got promoted. Congrats dude.

 

[OldSchool101]

Now that’s what I call direct deposit

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Ahhh yes.. Co-ed Vid 19 barely..

 

[longtimefan]

I just realized you got promoted. Congrats dude.

Lol
I added it..no promotion..we are trying out some stuff.

 

[longtimefan]

I just realized you got promoted. Congrats dude.

See? All gone lol

 

[HardRightEdge]

500 per day in a world of 7.5 billion. you can think of me whatever you will. even if all 500 a day were in the US, it would hardly bump the death rate.

Your original assessment was that this is a useful thinning of the herd.

A conservative estimate by Fauci, who is trying not to p*ss off Trump so badly as to lose his job, is a US death toll of 100,000 - 240,000. Bad disaster management has a good chance of making it much worse. The emergency response is shot through with political ideology at the federal level which will make for some unfavorable results.

 

[Do7]

See? All gone lol

I feel used now! How could you Longtime!

 

[Deleted member 6794]

So for argument sake, lets pretend the 2020 season is cancelled for everyone. My questions are:

• Are any of the players paid their salaries including newly signed rookies? Yes. They'd still get paid. No incentives though.
• If a players contract expires at the end of the 2020 season, will the cancelled season effect that or just like any year, they become a free agent next March? I assume yes. Yes.
• With the NCAA cancelling, how will that effect eligibility of players? Would most get that season back? How does that effect the draft pool? I'd assume people would still graduate at end. We can have a draft without needing a season.
• Would knowing that there wasn't going to be a 2020 season or a good possibility of it, change your approach to the upcoming draft? No. Best player on board is a evergreen concept!

Actually I don't think there's a section in the CBA regulating details on existing contracts if the season is canceled.

Therefore it's anybody's guess what would happen in that case.

 

[Mondio]

My guess is it's all TBD'd. Maybe there is some old language from war time, but my guess is they renegotiate the CBA for this year, which could be interesting. They'd have to come to some sort of agreement.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

While there are obviously more important matters facing the World at the moment, what happens to the NFL in a league wide shutdown and cancellation of a season becomes pretty complicated — the more you think about it.

MLB has a clause in their contracts, not sure if the NFL does, but that clause allows MLB to suspend contracts during a National Emergency. Right now I am reading that no player will be paid in MLB. Now whether that will be for the long haul or not, I think that is being discussed. I'm sure every word in every contract for all of the major sports are being poured over by both sides of the contracts, trying to figure out what each parties rights are.

Other things to think about are how contracts get adjusted for "years in the league". Would a year of not playing count as such? How many players will simply be cut before their salaries kick in at the start of the season? Guessing a good majority of players with either one year contracts or just one year left on an existing contract, could find themselves cut if salaries aren't suspended. Would the league allow that "saved cap" to be carried over into 2021?

 

[weeds]

Fox is going to play SB45 at 3 pm central Sunday. Last Sunday's was interupted by Fox News' Trump's 5:30 news conference. I missed thr end of Atlanta's implosion again

 

[HardRightEdge]

Actually I don't think there's a section in the CBA regulating details on existing contracts if the season is canceled.

Therefore it's anybody's guess what would happen in that case.

While the new NFL CBA, unlike the NBA's, does not contain force majeur language with respect to player salaries, the standard player contract under the prior CBA contained this language:

"Player will be paid 100% of his yearly salary under this contract in equal weekly or biweekly installments over the course of the applicable regular season period, commencing with the first regular season game played by Club in each season.”

The old CBA standard contract stated this provision would be in force for 2020.

The new CBA's standard contracts states:

"Player will be paid 100% of his yearly salary under this contract in equal weekly or biweekly installments over the course of a 34- or 36-week period during any of the applicable 2021 through 2029 League Years, commencing with the first regular season game played by Club in each season."

It is implausible the NFL would not insist players share the pain in the event of lost revenue from games not played. Whether that old provision evidently applicable to 2020 is where the league hangs their hat or something else, I'm pretty confident the NFL will seek to cancel salary payments in 1/17 increments for each week where games are cancelled, perhaps not immediately but at some point. "Played" is a pretty concrete and specific word. That may be sufficient.

As for signing, roster and workout bonuses, any money already paid out is, well, paid. Those monies are earned by virtue of a triggering event. I would suspect that a signing bonus where the individual player contract calls for cash disbursements over some period of time that would extend into a shutdown period would be paid. I'm not sure if league year roster bonuses are required to be paid in full when earned or may be disbursed over time per the player's contract, but the same principle applies, money is earned at the triggering event, whether signing a contract or being on the roster on the specified date per the contract.

I would suspect that workout bonuses or per game roster bonuses, like salaries, could go unpaid if the workouts or games are cancelled since the triggering event did not occur. Like the NBA, the NFL may defer invoking their rights so as not to royally p*ss off their key employees.

This is all a little murky and a little premature. If only OTAs and mini-camps are cancelled, it would be fair to assume the season will start on time. Camps start in mid-July. I would expect if that extends into August, depending on when exactly, they would cancel some or all of preseason and start the season on time. There's just too much money on the line, for players and owners, to expect otherwise.

What's the minimum amount of camp to avoid opening day cancellation? I dunno but I'd guess it could be as little as two weeks. That, or maybe a little more, would make for even more sloppy football than what we see in the first 3 weeks of the season, as though very many across the viewing audience would notice or care.

 

[longtimefan]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bostonglobe.com/2020/04/04/sports/what-happens-with-player-contracts-schedule-if-nfl-has-alter-or-cancel-season/?outputType=amp

The player contract doesn’t have a force majeure provision because it is essentially baked into the contract. Article 6 of every player’s contract states that players get paid 100 percent of their base salary “over the course of the applicable regular season, commencing with the first regular-season game played by Club in such season.”


So, it’s pretty simple: no games, no payment of base salary or per-game bonuses,


Players get their base salary and bonuses only when games are played, whether that happens in September, November, or not at all.

 

[ARPackFan]

My guess is it's all TBD'd. Maybe there is some old language from war time, but my guess is they renegotiate the CBA for this year, which could be interesting. They'd have to come to some sort of agreement.

It looks like the CBA has a provision that would force the league & NFLPA back to the table but the language indicates that adjustments would be made to next years cap? I could not find anything in the CBA about not paying players under a natural disater if games are not played.
Maybe one of you is a lawyer or accountant and can make sense of this.

https://nflpaweb.blob.core.windows.net/media/Default/NFLPA/CBA2020/NFL-NFLPA_CBA_March_5_2020.pdf

On page 82-
(xii) Cancelled Games. If one or more weeks of any NFL season are cancelled or AR (All Revenues) for any League Year substantially decreases, in either case due to a terrorist or military action, natural disaster, or similar event, the parties shall engage in good faith negotiations to adjust the provisions of this Agreement with respect to the projection of AR and the Salary Cap for the following League Year so that AR for the following League Year is projected in a fair manner consistent with the changed revenue projection caused by such action.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I could not find anything in the CBA about not paying players under a natural disater if games are not played.

I don't think you need to find that language. The key language as pointed out by HRE and LTF above

"Player will be paid 100% of his yearly salary under this contract in equal weekly or biweekly installments over the course of the applicable regular season period, commencing with the first regular season game played by Club in each season.”

By that language, they could try to commence with practices and preseason, but if they decide before the first regular season game is played to cancel the season, they would have an argument that salaries don't have to be paid out.

 

[ARPackFan]

Agree - it is implicit that player pay is dependant upon the game being played.

 

[Do7]

Agree - it is implicit that player pay is dependant upon the game being played.

Kinda like the expectation of getting paid when you go to work. If you aren't able to work for whatever reason, chances are you're not getting paid.

 

[HardRightEdge]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bostonglobe.com/2020/04/04/sports/what-happens-with-player-contracts-schedule-if-nfl-has-alter-or-cancel-season/?outputType=amp

That article raises a whole other set of issues:

"And NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills said that football won’t be played until there is easy, quick, and widespread testing."

"As long as we're still in a place where when a single individual tests positive for the virus that you have to quarantine every single person who was in contact with them in any shape, form or fashion, then I don't think you can begin to think about reopening a team sport," Sills told NFL.com. "Because we're going to have positive cases for a very long time."

Beyond that, if the case incidence sharply declines to the point where "stay at home" and social distancing is broadly lifted, and there will be immense pressure to do so across the economy, there's risk of a virus rebound with no vaccine expected for a year to prevent it, not to mention how long it takes to innoculate millions upon millions of people, however many it takes to get to herd immunity.

You could envision a circumstance after the season starts where a player tests positive on a Saturday and the team is quarantined for Sunday, even if a rapid test is available but not quite rapid enough, with some games cancelled, some not. Or 10 starting players test postive with the rapid test, not requiring quarantine of the rest, but decimating a roster.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Would also be interesting to look at the contracts between the NFL and all the Media sources that have a contract to cover certain events that normally take place during a season. Since this is a major, if not the biggest, revenue stream to each team., how much that gets diluted, could really hurt some teams that don't have a good rainy day fund.

I noticed a lot of channels running "classic games" instead of regular season baseball or basketball. While the Networks are probably still having to pay MLB and the NBA for the privilege to do this, I can't imagine it is at the same rate as live games.

Will all of the coaches continue to get paid? Trainers, equipment guys, etc.

 

[HardRightEdge]

Would also be interesting to look at the contracts between the NFL and all the Media sources that have a contract to cover certain events that normally take place during a season. Since this is a major, if not the biggest, revenue stream to each team., how much that gets diluted, could really hurt some teams that don't have a good rainy day fund.

I don't know exactly, but lost revenue in refunds to networks and/or non-payments to teams will fall somewhere in the range of "lots".

As for rainy day funds, the NFL collects all revenue and distributes it to teams, retaining some for various needs, such as makin substantial loans to teams to cover part of the cost to build stadiums. Since it would be kind of stupid for the league office to not have an emergency reserve I would expect they do.

I noticed a lot of channels running "classic games" instead of regular season baseball or basketball. While the Networks are probably still having to pay MLB and the NBA for the privilege to do this, I can't imagine it is at the same rate as live games.

Not necessarily. If they paid to broadcast the game in the first place they may have re-broadcaset rights.

Will all of the coaches continue to get paid? Trainers, equipment guys, etc.

It depends on a few factors, whether or not there is an employment contract, the terms of the contract if one exists, and whether management wants to be "nice guys" in waiving provisions or keeping people on the payroll when they could be furloughed.

Evidently the NBA had the right to stop player payments under the force majeur provision in their CBA once the season was suspended. They continued to pay players through 3/31. What they've decided to do as of 4/1, I've not seen a report. Nice guys? Or not confident of their legal standing? I couldn't say,

 

[ARPackFan]

Kinda like the expectation of getting paid when you go to work. If you aren't able to work for whatever reason, chances are you're not getting paid.

I would agree unless you are a salaried vs hourly employee and then it becomes a bit more gray. Are NFL players salaried? They make a set amount for a league year based upon a contract unless cut/waived. Are they paid for the game or is that just a payment schedule? It is never as clear cut as we would like to think when money is involved.

 

[rmontro]

If life is back to normal with the exception of NFL season being cancelled and for some reason the NCAA is still BAU, then there will be a TON of bandwagon Clemson, LSU and Alabama fans out there.

I don't see any situation under the sun where the NFL is cancelled but the NCAA continues on. People would be screaming that student athletes were being put at risk, while the pros are protected. Isn't going to happen, no way.

why do you think it's going to be stopped? it can be slowed with drastic measures, BUT NOBODY is self sufficient.

I know people are wanting to beat you up here, so I will say I understand your point, to some extent. 1300 people a day die in the US due to smoking-related illnesses, and nobody bats an eye. 12,000-61,000 flu deaths every year in the US, and nobody is closing schools or not letting you buy books at Walmart. People die in helicopters, but no one mentions it unless it's Kobe Bryant.

But that doesn't mean the situation isn't serious, I definitely believe it is. Also, there is a lot of harm being done by the response, we could end up pushing the country into a depression, people could lose their jobs, small businesses will close. Now we're hearing the first inklings of the supply chain being disrupted. If that happens, that's when you'll really see panic, chaos, and lawlessness. All in the name of slowing the virus. And that is supposed to decrease the number of deaths. And I hope it does, although sometimes I wonder, if this thing is as contagious as they say, if we're just delaying the inevitable. There may come a time when we all end up getting exposed, and find out if we get to survive or not. I hope it doesn't come to that, but it might.