NFL Lockout: League Says It Can Use Replacement Players, Will Not Negotiate If No Union

It has not been confirmed elsewhere as far as I know, but it was reported by Calvin Watson of ESPN Dallas that the NFL claims it can use replacement playersfor the 2011 season. In this is true, it is an interesting twist in the ever more complicated plot line of the current NFL lockout and everything dealing with labor negotiations and the CBA.

Something else that is interesting is that the NFL has said in the NFL Owners Meetings that they will not negotiate with the players "class council" (with no union, it has to be this way). That is a bit surprising considering the fact that Roger Goodell's message to every media outlet, including SB Nation is that he would leave the middle of an interview to ge back to the negotiating table.

So for the league to be willing to renegotiate, the players union would have to recertify first. Tha Goodell would leave whatever he is doing to work on a deal again.

The NFL has a case waiting to be heard by the NLRB regarding the NFLPA decertification. The league claims that is a sham and that it should not be recognized. If this happens, it would be a huge blow to the players. If I understand things correctly, if the NLRB rules that it is a sham, then the decertification would not be valid, thus making the court case the players have against the league invalid. The individual players could not file suit.

What could this mean? One of the other communities posed the question on Twitter to @AskAnNFLAgent and got this response:

NLRB ruling could possibly mean the last, best offer from the NFL is the de-facto new CBA unless negotiations commence again.

This would indeed change things. The players have already said that the offer they got was the worst in professional sports history. It could force negotiations or end up being how things will be.

Also, the league filed in federal court for a stay of the injunction that the players have filed for.

As it has been said, the 2011 season is depending on the courts. That is a bit scary.

What do you all think?