Announcer: (00:00)
You are Listening to the Podcast, Detroit network. Visit http://www.podcastdetroit.com for more information.

Jerry: (00:20)
This is grand design podcast with DJ and Jerry Grand. Where we link the chains of reason of sports, politics and culture.

DJ: (00:36)
Welcome back to the Grand Designs Podcast, episode 19. Can’t believe that many of them. Uh, just let you know how to get ahold of us, our website is GrandDesignsPodcast.com, email is GrandDesignsPodcast@yahoo.com. You can follow us on Twitter @granddesignspod and Instagram is granddesignspodcast. Um, today should be a short podcast, but uh oh and just to introduce us, I’m DJ Grand and I’m here with my brother Jerry.

Jerry: (01:07)
Good day

DJ: (01:08)
and take once again, she’d be a short podcast. First, we’re going to talk a little bit about the NHL Officiating in the current Stanley Cup playoffs.

Jerry: (01:18)
Yeah, I think we’re going to discuss the game five of the Stanley Cup finals. When the Blues, uh, a call was not made. I personally, after watching it, I didn’t see it live, but seeing the next morning, oh, replay after repay after replay, it was not a penalty. The refs did not make a mistake in that. So this whole thing while Boston getting upset, yeah, they (didn’t) have it go their way. But the Blues also had to go their way when they played San Jose, they had a very bad penalty go against them. That was actually a penalty. It was a hand pass. Didn’t get called to shrugs. Won that game then the Blues came back at won in the series.

DJ: (01:56)
Well actually this call went against Boston. Boston guy was tripped and then Saint Louis end up scoring the goal. Perron ended up scoring the goal.

Jerry: (02:02)
Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. It wasn’t even a penalty. So I, I don’t include this in a bad call cause it wasn’t a penalty. Uh, if you watch last night’s game, Marchand tripped. He took his knee, stuck it out and right into the leg of the guy against the boards and the guy went backwards. That was a trip. This play, the Boston player was skating backwards. The Saint Louis player was looking away, skating forward and they collided. It was not a penalty. Now the Saint Louis made a mistake.

DJ: (02:31)
You’re responsible for your stick. That’s the argument. And his stick did get under his skates.

Jerry: (02:36)
again. Okay. I didn’t see that part. I was looking at the leg cause they were saying it was a trip. They didn’t say anything with the stick again. Yes you are responsible. But you know we played hockey how many times that the idiot skating tripped over our stake. It wasn’t us sticking a stick in there and I’m, I’m going back to that, that this was not a penalty now. It wasn’t a penalty on the Blues, but they, the guy himself, he acted like he was going to get a penalty and it was reaction when didn’t get call was even was even worse because I think he was surprised it made it look like it was a penalty. It was in Boston. The Boston fans went nuts. Yes, I would agree that hey look, Boston had a goal the other way when they got a gift of a non call and now they’re complaining about it. But the coach, he was just, hey move on. You know, the next game. You know, fortunately it wasn’t game seven. He had a good point and now I kind of think that they’re actually going to pull this out because Saint Louis is that they’re too close to do something they’ve never done before. You could tell that, not last night. Well before that they were asking the players “did you sleep?” And for all three nights, every player on Saint Louis, “no, hardly any” there too giddy. The Cup was, they would bring out the cup was there. It was at their grasp. So they’re just too giddy about it.

DJ: (03:42)
One thing to the advantage is they are a better road team, which seems ironic, but they seem, in the playoffs, to be a better road team, but as you were saying earlier, it went for them and the San Jose series and I think I interrupted you, it went for them in SanJose

Jerry: (03:53)
It went went against them in San Jose.

DJ: (03:55)
San Jose hand passed it, That’s correct. You’re right. And went against them and

Jerry: (03:58)
Correct task and then they got the goal that lost the game

DJ: (04:01)
That’s correct.

Jerry: (04:01)
After that they said the same exact thing that Boston is saying right now. Put it aside. I remember it was game two or three put aside, they came back and one of those next two games, I think they won it in six a so they closed them out there. They didn’t let, uh, San Jose didn’t win after that. This could be the same um, case where the so called non penalty and now they’re going to lose the next two games.

DJ: (04:20)
Well here’s my problem with it is Boston’s complainant saying, I hear it all the time. “Let them play. Let them play.” So when the refs actually do let them play and don’t make the call, Boston’s up in arms. It’s a contradiction.

Jerry: (04:34)
You know they let them play last night, like Marchand, sticking that leg out. Uh, that wasn’t letting them play. But yes, seen that there’s where it gets into the home team. Look, they could cross check, how you broke your neck, and they’re going to say, let them play. Cause this, the home team, they won. The winning is so important now, but it doesn’t come with a, I don’t know if I’m gonna use this word correctly, chivalry where they don’t care about, you know, let the guy get back up again. It’s almost like UFC fighting where they just jump on and pound and pound, but it’s gone to the point to where now it’s cheating and breaking the rules is okay if you don’t get caught, if you’re not cheating, you’re not winning all those cliches. But now in our culture it’s coming out to where literally a, you didn’t make that call. How outrageous. Ah, that’s the Boston fans complaining about it when just the series before they had to go their way and they were, “you know, hey, that’s the way it is. You know, man up.” On the next game. Yeah, different story. I agree.

DJ: (05:26)
Correct. But the last thing I want to say is when you officiating say they don’t want to be the problem, they don’t want to be the cause of the outcome of the game. But sometimes a non call is going to cause the outcome of the game like this one did.

Jerry: (05:38)
That’s their mistake that they should. They should really just say, look, if it’s a penalty in the first minute, it’s a penalty in the last minute. It doesn’t matter.

DJ: (05:45)
There’s my biggest problem with NHL and hockey in general is there’s no consistency. If it’s a penalty in the beginning of the season, it should be a penalty on the playoffs too and it’s not. It’s two different seasons as far as

Jerry: (05:56)
right

DJ: (05:56)
penalties are called.

Jerry: (05:57)
That’s got to stop until that stops it. That’s you’re going to have these kinds of issues all the time.

DJ: (06:03)
All right. Moving onto our second topic. It’s we’re, we be talking about the NFL possible players stoppage after the current CBA runs out.

Jerry: (06:11)
Yes, before my brother gets into specific topics about it. What I will just say is to all you NFL fantasy players out there who love playing fantasy football, you looking forward to your draft, you’ve done your research. You better do a good job this year because it’s going to be your last for a while. I really believe, and you can go back and play this a year from now, that this podcast’s episode, that this strike is going to be a long one. It’s going to replicate the NHL, where they lost a whole year and the union is literally, they are coming out and they’re giving all the warning signs that it’s going to be a long strike and we can get into why it’s going to be a long strike right now.

DJ: (06:49)
Well first of all, it’s, there’s two sides of this. Anyone who on the NFL side is basically saying “No, no, we’re going to renegotiate. It isn’t, it’s not a problem”, but on the player’s association side, they’re warning their players to save that. It could be a stoppage and then they’re going to need the money.

Jerry: (07:04)
The NFL came out and said, we’re in current negotiations right now, which the contract is for the 2020 season. So yes, this is 2019 of course they’re in negotiations right now. They are so far apart. I know of one major issue. You’ve got a couple of others that it’s literally they’re out to set an agenda for this negotiation of this contract. Um, to go ahead.

DJ: (07:28)
Well, just to show how far apart they actually are. The uh, president of the NFLPA, Eric Winston, he tweeted, “any conversation with NFL owners will be a renegotiation for a new deal, not an extension. At our board meetings we told everyone to prepare for a work stoppage. Nothing has changed.” And that was March 26, 2019. They’re saying it’s probably going to stop.

Jerry: (07:55)
Yeah, I’ve heard, um, I think more DeMaurice (Smith), I don’t know his last name. He is the, uh, I think the president (Executive Director) of the Union Association and he came out and said, save your money and you tell the players now to save their money. The problem with that is you’ve got the rookies coming in next year. You’ve got the rookies coming in this year and now they’re going to save their money. And I don’t know how many times you’ve heard when it comes to money issues with the, uh, professional athletes they got Lamborghinis. Do you know the insurance costs for Lamborghini that justifies the million dollar salary. So he’s coming out and telling his constituents right now I represent you get ready for a long strike. I agree it’s going to be a long one. Now I read an article that they’re planning to literally imitate, like I said earlier, the NHL, they want to lose a whole a whole season, but they’re out for one major issue, which we’re going to get to. But I’ll let you start with the other issues first.

DJ: (08:46)
Well first or they’re looking at guaranteed contracts.

Jerry: (08:50)
Not going to happen. Uh, which sports guarantees that are contracts right now? There is one sport. I don’t know if it’s baseball or basketball that guarantees the contract, but this will not happen in the NFL because how many times does a player step on the field? Uh, and I will give a name that Detroit fans know, (Jahvid) Best on or hope it’s (Jahvid) Best, hope I’m saying his name right. He’s a running back four or five years ago, was drafted out of California. Had a great first rookie season. I mean he lit it up. They thought they had the replacement to Barry Sanders. The very next year, he blows his knee out. The NFL is not going to guarantee that contract. They’re not guaranting contracts. Not going to happen.

DJ: (09:28)
A side issue that is the franchise tag. They’re talking about redoing or at least changing some of the franchise tags.

Jerry: (09:35)
Now, that I agree with. They need that needs to be changed but that’s not, that won’t hold up this strike, that will not be the issue for the players holding out. But the franchise tag is a problem with the NFL and the players. Uh, although Kirk Cousins made a lot of money because of that franchise tag, a lot of money

DJ: (09:52)
and it also caused Le’Veon Bell to sit out for an entire season because of the franchise tag. So it goes both ways.

Jerry: (09:58)
There’s where the flaw (is) because they’re based on the top five salaries of the current contracts of your position. Le’Veon Bell was not even close to the second, third, fourth, and fifth person. So that average all those in, I agree with him. But as it all came out, he’s not getting any more money for the Jets than he would’ve (been) offered with Pittsburgh. He sat out, he did not, he did not gain anything from that.

DJ: (10:20)
Well maybe he did it on principle.

Jerry: (10:21)
The only thing he gained was leaving the team. That’s the only thing he gained. It was no financial reward for what he did. Now we’re running backs are paid different than quarterbacks. They have a different even lifespan. The average job or life that are running back, it’s like three and a half to five years and they’re out of the League quarterbacks a little bit longer and I think even offensive lineman lasts long. Defensive Line is not that long. Linebackers are not that long. They get hurt. So I get the security they’re going for.

DJ: (10:47)
The average of players in the NFL careers for years.

Jerry: (10:50)
Okay. They’re not going to get a guarantee contract because some of these contracts are for like Stafford’s contract going to pay him 26 million this year, 30 million coming up and I think that was a six year deal.

DJ: (11:00)
Well, another part of the money is rookie contracts because all of like Stanford, when he came in and they signed him to a big contract because he was, well the number one pick and now they’re talking about somehow readjusting that.

Jerry: (11:14)
They’ve already done that.

DJ: (11:15)
And they’re going to do it again.

Jerry: (11:16)
Because now it was to where it was outrageous to where you had, I’m not sure if Stafford was in this class or not, but you had rookie quarterbacks coming in never taking a snap and they are going to make more money than a veteran players based on what their projection was. Number one pick in the draft. They then uh, the NFL reclassify that where there’s rookie contracts now. It really benefits the owners and the teams because Baker Mayfield, uh, he’s under contract now for the next four years at a very dirt cheap price because the rookie contract.

DJ: (11:48)
Well, the NFL did this the teams won’t hurt themselves, which is…

Jerry: (11:51)
That’s the whole point.

DJ: (11:53)
I mean, let them hurt themselves. They did it, that they’re doing it, they’re agreeing to the contract.

Jerry: (11:57)
The owners say, yes, sign it. They can’t complain about it. That’s the problem. They have to control themselves and sometimes they can’t. It’s that old adage that uh, like for example, you had the owner of the Kansas City Chiefs who let a Kareem Hunt go and the Brown’s owner picked him up right away. So you’ve got one owner, you know, doing the right thing and then another owner is, he wants them, doesn’t matter about his character. What he did don’t care. I won a championship. So again, what other owners will pick them up? So you’ve got that owner to thinking, well, if I let them go, this guy’s going to pick them up so that that’s in the back of the head, but I can give back to the contract. They’re not getting a guaranteed contract. That is that, that won’t be the hold up either. That will not be the holdup for this contract.

DJ: (12:35)
I agree. I don’t think they’ll get it either. The next, uh, issue is reduction in broadcast revenue and the reason they’re doing, uh, looking at that it’s not because of ABC or NBC or all those big networks is because Twitter and Amazon, I think it was Amazon that got or paid it was Amazon pays 50 million and Twitter pays 10 million per season and that they’re talking about could change the dynamic of the revenue,

Jerry: (13:03)
When you say reduction in broadcasting, uh, revenue

DJ: (13:06)
they want, they want the NFL players association wants to reduction of it, that

Jerry: (13:12)
they want less money or they won’t.

DJ: (13:14)
Let me read it. This is from ESPN in 2017 espn.com television rights fees have been the largest driver of the NFL economic explosion in the past decade. But recent upheaval in the broadcast and cable industries and overall ratings dip in 2016 has prompted a fair question. Will the gravy train end? If it does, it’s unlikely to come in this, the latest window contracts with CBS, Fox, NBC and Espn will run through the 2021 season. The NFL already has begun transitioning to over the top Internet broadcast partnering first with Twitter and then with Amazon. And like I said, Amazon was 50 million and Twitter payed 10 million per season.

Jerry: (13:55)
Okay, so that’s 60 million to or ESPN, ABC, we’re paying 300 million, right?

DJ: (13:59)
Yes.

Jerry: (14:00)
Okay, well that’s, the money isn’t coming in, the players are going to get less.

DJ: (14:03)
The players. Well, if the 50 million, I mean that’s, they’re getting more to, the players are going to want to dip into that.

Jerry: (14:09)
That’s not gonna happen because the others are going to make them one and they have their profit margins. So that’s not going to happen.

DJ: (14:14)
The whole point is that they, they think they’re making more money so that players want some share of that. I mean, I didn’t, uh, I think the, the players gave up, they were less than 50% of the revenue sharing. Um, last time they were 50% before and then I got just below 50% and now with this increase of more money they’re getting, they’re going to be wanting more money out of that.

Jerry: (14:33)
I heard reduction in revenue that looks like it’s going to be an increase in revenue because they’re going to get more money streaming

DJ: (14:38)
Reduction in broadcast revenue because no longer ABC, Fox.

Jerry: (14:43)
Will they make more streaming it?

DJ: (14:45)
Who knows?

Jerry: (14:45)
See that’s the whole thing. The NFLs gambling though, because the precedent hasn’t been set yet. I mean the ABC contract go through 2021 this contract is 2020 and I could see them waiting until the new contract is signed because if ABC signs a 300 million ESPN, then yeah.

DJ: (15:03)
It could also be that the Twitter and Amazon sets a new standard and Fox and all those goes up as well.

Jerry: (15:09)
So you’re going to have, you’re going to have to wait and see what happens, but okay. I really don’t. That’s, that’s a wait and see kind of thing because how do you know how much revenue is coming in the future? Now, I know. We know what ESPN is paid, we know about the streaming, but yet that’s a way the streaming is a way with the future. Cable’s going to go out the door.

DJ: (15:25)
The next is officiating and basically computer or computerized officiating.

Jerry: (15:29)
Not In football. You can’t not, not in football. Can’t do it. Baseball, yes. Football. No.

DJ: (15:34)
Well, according to the same espn.com article behind the scenes, the league has reached the possibility of placing gps like chips and footballs on goal poles and on the goal line

Jerry: (15:45)
Now, Okay, that I could see, but that’s just going having a human official on the field and then it just goes up to the booth to whatever that chip says. You know? Or if a light goes off when it crosses the goal line is a touchdown. Yeah, that I can see. I thought they meant like in baseball replacing the ump with the computer box.

DJ: (16:02)
Eventually that could happen. I mean, as it, as the technology develops, eventually that could happen. I don’t think this is the start of that,

Jerry: (16:09)
But I don’t think it’ll ever replace a human ref because you’ve got to have that ref throw that flag on holding. Now. Now you’re talking computer chips in their jerseys.

DJ: (16:17)
Not just that. Well like I said, once the technology advances, they could have the computers looking for those holdings and and maybe every, if it, if was reality, every play would get a flag.

Jerry: (16:29)
Right.

DJ: (16:29)
But

Jerry: (16:30)
I’ve got to say that’s got to hold off until the technology gets there. For them to even bring that up in negotiations.

DJ: (16:35)
It’s going to happen in little steps. Those, like I said, the GPS is…

Jerry: (16:38)
The first step is…

DJ: (16:38)
very well happening. Yeah.

Jerry: (16:39)
So the first step is the goal posts in the end zone. Okay.

DJ: (16:41)
Okay. Uh, uh, there’s two more issues. It’s player supply changes. Uh, there’s anecdotal revelations earlier in the decade in the decrease of Pop Warner participation, presumably a result of concussion concerns from parents. That decrease has not yet manifested at the high school level according to the latest numbers from the National Federation of State High School Association. So it will take some time to impact the NFL, but there is a problem, at least here in Michigan. Um, according to the Michigan High School Football Coach Association, the Michigan High School Athletic Association Representative Council passed a bill that prescribing the following limitations. I’m full contact practices. In season reduction from 90 minutes per week to 30 minutes, which is next to nothing. They’re not gonna be able to improve their skills whatsoever, let alone learn how to, to tackle and to get tackled. Preseason reduced from three hours per day plus scrimmages, to total of six hours per week. Thinking about that from three hours per day to six hours total per week, how are they going to be able to improve their skills…

Jerry: (17:49)
That’s three Two hour practices.

DJ: (17:50)
on the High school level?

Jerry: (17:50)
No, they won’t. Well, to make it even worse? There’s a some, I don’t know if it’s national or if it’s local, but they’re trying to outlaw tackling for the pop Warner up until…You can’t play tackle football until you’re in high school. Now that goes through, we’re in trouble because they’re going to a lot of injuries dealing with and then you’re going to get into not being able to do practice or the hours, it’s all the concussion. They’re trying to stop and I get it, but to take the physicality out of football and then they’d play flag football for Pop Warner and then when you get to high school you’re starting to hit, they’re not gonna know how to do it, how to protect themselves. They’re the training, but even these regulations will make it even harder.

DJ: (18:27)
It’s going to make it worse, they’re not going to be able to, like I already said, learn how to tackle it and how to get tackled and that is going to cause more injuries and then there will be less people wind up play football because of it.

Jerry: (18:37)
Mark Cuban said, I think a year ago the NFL will not be in existence in 20 years and I think he’s right.

DJ: (18:42)
Well this isn’t because the NFL, this is because of the high school.

Jerry: (18:45)
That’s the whole point. It’s the whole (CTE), the brain. I work with someone right now who basically if his son wants to play football, yeah. Okay. But he is not any way going to move them to that. He’s not going to suggested at matter of fact he doesn’t want him to play. And that’s just one. It’s not, I haven’t had, it was different because he wants to play a Lacrosse as that’s just, that’s just as rough. Hockey’s just as rough too. So what are you going to put them in?

DJ: (19:09)
I was just thinking the CTE problem isn’t going to carry over to the NHL too. You’re going to, they still have concussions in the NHL.

Jerry: (19:15)
But it’s gonna be the death of the NFL because they don’t want the tackling the collision. Now 10 years ago, that whole collision, the safeties coming up and going that head to head, that was the main draw of the NFL. It’s gotten to where now it’s going the opposite direction. So I think Mark Cubin was going to be right. So that’s something that’s going to be, uh, down the road. It’s going to hurt the NFL. I don’t think it’s going to hurt the, uh, if it comes up in the negotiation, it is going to be more of a development. The skills won’t be there in drafts down the road.

DJ: (19:44)
They’re planting the seeds right now because those seeds are going to grow. You’re not goin to have players.

Jerry: (19:48)
Correct, exactly.

DJ: (19:50)
The last issue that’s really going to affect the current CBA is the disempowerment of Roger Goodell.

Jerry: (19:56)
This is it. This is the one that’s going to be the backbreaker. Everything else will be settled and okay, but they,, the player’s union wants to literally make Roger Goodell powerless or the commissioner himself. Now back when Paul Tagliabue was the commissioner, there were people that were kind of voicing their opinion that he needed to come down on the players. He wasn’t being stern enough. He wasn’t being that principal to keep the players in line. You had all these offsite in, uh, off field, off site, off field issues. Uh, an owner, um, was doing things that, uh, it shouldn’t be done. So they’re literally going to Tagliabue, “you’ve got reign these players, get control”. He retires and in come’s Goodell. If you remember from day one, Goodell brought the hammer down from day one, the Tom Brady deflate gate put it over the edge to where even as Ezekiel Elliot in the domestic dispute, whatever Goodell’s pet punishment is they took to federal court, they weren’t going to accept his ruling. They want the ruling out, and again, it didn’t matter if Tom Brady was guilty. It didn’t matter if Ezekiel Elliot was guilty. It was basically the union trying to tell the NFL he’s not going to basically discipline our players.

DJ: (21:04)
That’s my problem with the union in the larger aspect, not just football, but in the large aspect union, they don’t care about justice. It look, I agree, was standing up for rights. That’s I, anyone who stands up for rights, whether it’s workers or playing football, I get that, but you’re not standing up for rights when someone beats someone. It’s on tape in an elevator and then the union defends them. That’s not standing up for rights. That’s just defended them for the sake of defending (in) my mind.

Jerry: (21:31)
Back in the 20s and early thirties when GM and even Henry Ford had those horrible working conditions that wouldn’t even fly with OSHA today. I get it. I understood completely what the union was trying to do, how they went about it was a different story, but I get the whole safety and the wage, you know these, they call them titans of industry. They were making a lot of money off and just paying these people and it wasn’t a really a living wage, so I get it back then. That isn’t the case now. Now I can tell you personally from 30 years of health care industry where the union has gotten there more than their feet wet. They’ve come in and they have no clue. This is the UAW who went into a nursing home and represented the nursing home workers. They have no clue how a nursing home, how people are taking care of. This is not making cars on the auto industry. In the auto, basically, if someone has a drinking problem, you can’t fire them. You got to rehabilitate them.

DJ: (22:27)
Once again, they don’t care about justice. That’s my biggest problem with the Union they had justice does not even in their paradigm.

Jerry: (22:34)
That came in with the health care that it wasn’t about someone who abuses a resident, can’t fire him. You’ve got to, you know. No, no, no. You have to cause other people out there who basically aren’t being, they’re being abused too, but no one’s catching them. So, the union was trying to protect these people and yet the care was going down. So it almost goes down to where the union is just trying to make a power struggle that they don’t want the NFL to discipline their players when the union themselves, they don’t want to discipline their employees.

DJ: (23:03)
They want to go to arbitration and if anyone bought Roger Goodell.

Jerry: (23:07)
But my thing is, again, and I’m going to use Ezekiel Elliot was a difficult one, but Tom Brady and the deflate gate was clearcut. They busted him. He cheated period and the union didn’t like him coming out with four games. And how long did that, did that drag on when it could have been just hey, serve your time. It’s over. That went for about two years into the courts until he actually s and he’s still served the four games. The NFL got exactly what they wanted. It just went a longer route and because of this, the union did not like how they came out with pretty much mud on their face because they didn’t do anything for Brady except the only thing that they did did the same thing for Ezekiel Elliot. They dragged out the suspension. And here’s my problem. Jerry Jones was more or less backing it because he didn’t want to see him suspended for six games. He wanted his star running back on the field. So this is an owner who basically is employing Goodell and wants Goodell to basically discipline these players. But in this aspect he’s basically, no, no, no. It’s my team, my team, my team.

DJ: (24:08)
That’s pragmatism. The end justifies the means.

Jerry: (24:09)
We’re just, we just talked about how these, these owners can’t control themselves and Jerry Jones was a classic example and he was coming out and it was set because Roger Goodell, he was almost saying he was agreeing with the union only because it was his player Ezekiel Eliot. Again, the facts of those was a domestic abuse case that never got tried. The charges were dropped but Goodell basically went to punishing him anyways even though we wasn’t found guilty in a court of law, just like currently with Tyreek Hill, that’s not being pursued criminally anymore, but Goodell is not letting him back in the league. There’s going to be some discipline there and the NFL, the union, they’ve already brought up how they want to fight that. So, the players union is going to fight for Tyreek Hill to be allowed to play.

DJ: (24:51)
Another instance where they don’t care about justice, they just care about the member.

Jerry: (24:57)
The member. Exactly that. Even though this guy did something wrong and egregious it’s okay, you can’t kick him out of the league. You can’t do it. You got to basically rehabilitate him back or as long as he understands he made a mistake and this goes back to their using the Union as Adrian Peterson as a good example. When I hear again, things aren’t going real well at that, on the other side of that, but that’s a personal matter with his children. But when it gets brought into the media and the unions using it as an negotiation ploy and that Tyreek Hill should play because Adrian Peterson is playing. Again, it just goes back to the union wanting to show their power that can protect the player no matter what they did. Right and wrong isn’t the issue. It’s we get to protect them and how dare you discipline our player. Now…

DJ: (25:42)
What’s the point of the commissioner then? If they do get their way and they end up winning, which I don’t think they will. I really don’t. I think the NFL will win on this. They’ll stand and die on this issue. However, let’s just say they do get their way. What would be the point of having a commissioner?

Jerry: (25:54)
Well, I agree, but what’s the point? If they go to arbitration and Brady is still suspended for four games, they’re gonna pull the same crap. Go to someone else now because they, what it boils down to. I’m not hearing what I want to hear so we’re going to go somewhere else. I get the whole appeal process, but what all this is saying is the union is saying we don’t like this verdict. We want to hear it from you. All right, so now they, if they were to wipe out the commissioner’s power and they go to arbitration and the arbitrator says no, suspended a whole season. Now what’s it going to be?

DJ: (26:24)
It could be a little bit of the Trump derangement syndrome. Anybody…no matter What Trump says, he’s wrong. Well, no matter what Goodell says he’s wrong, so they’re just going to fight him no matter what.

Jerry: (26:35)
Well, I think that’s where it’s going and that’s what this was going to hold up and you’re going to lose a whole season because of this one issue right here. The union wanted to take the power away from the commissioner and it won’t happen. I think the NFL, we’ll let it go. They will bring in replacements and they will also they’ii let it stretch out enough to where the players will tell the union. They’ll force them on crossing the line. I got to go back, I gotta make my money. So I think when DeMaurice, I forget his last name, the NFL, a president, the union president came on and said, save your money. NFL is in the same thing. The owners, Hey, get ready for a long strike. Get ready for bringing whatever replacements you want to call them. The scabs is the term that they use, whatever they’re going to do to bring in replacement players. They’re telling the owners now to get ready for that. And it may be a year, a year and a half before the players come back and cross the line. So, I think you’re going to have a stalemate coming up here. So again, fantasy players, people love the NFL. Enjoy this year because it’s going to be the last year for awhile.

DJ: (27:30)
Well, just to clarify, the NFLPA, President Eric Winston, he’s the one who came out and tweeted that to prepare for the work stoppage.

Jerry: (27:37)
Who’s (DeMaurice)? He’s the one that I’m always hearing talk and he’s the NFL. I thought…

DJ: (27:42)
He could be the, and the union representative (Executive Director), but

Jerry: (27:45)
That may be, it could be it because a, yeah, that could be it. But anyways, I still think it’s going to be a long drawn process is just to rid the commissioner of his powers and it will not happen. They will, the NFL make it go as long as they can with the replacements or what have you to the, the, the players will cross. But mind you, it would be like the NHL, they will lose a whole season over this.

DJ: (28:05)
Well, the NHL didn’t just lose the season, they lost a lot of popularity to it. It really hit them.

Jerry: (28:09)
I think that’s what the players, association doesn’t realize they’re flirting with. Uh, right now the NFL is king of the hill. It was baseball. Now it’s NFL. You take the NFL out for a season. Yeah, they’re gonna fall. They’re gonna go down. Just like the Nhl did I think like the NHL. But if you remembered, they kind of had a hard time coming back. Um, Versus came out of nowhere to pick them up. The ESPN kind of just (would) go away. I don’t think that’ll happen. I think at the NFL was to lose a year and come back. The, depending on how they’re going to stream it, whatever the medium might be, it’s just going to be full blown excitement.

DJ: (28:44)
So then the question then is how long do you think the NFL will go before they actually employ replacements? During work stoppage.

Jerry: (28:52)
Well, well clearly we’re dealing with the owners now and they don’t like to lose money and it’s all about making money for the owners.

DJ: (28:58)
This whole CBA is about money, this whole thing is about money.

Jerry: (29:01)
They’ve got their, they’ve got their game plan, their profit margins that, I don’t know what it is, but I’m going to give an example. Allright, we can go six games. On the seventh game, we’ve got to bring in replacements to start generating revenue. We’ve got to have a game for a ESPN is show so we can get our money for the TV rights. Now, whether it doesn’t have to be these players here, they can bring replacements in. They’re going to cross the line, you’re going to have that whole dialogue going on again where there’ll be, have the NFL players and the picket line and the bus bringing them in. You know, throwing the rocks and stuff at the bus, all that. You have college studs who couldn’t make an NFL going to get their second chance. So yeah, and I think that people are still going to buy it. It’s almost that whole high school. Rah, rah, rah, I want to root for my team. There was a Lions fan who called him the other day. Um, one of the DFN ticket guys just said, I’m done with the Lions they’ve lost my whole life. I’m just sick of it. And this guy calls it how could you? Every year, no matter what, even they’re 0-16, I come back the next year with hope. So you’ve got these delusional fans that will say they’ll take anybody in that Honolulu, blue and silver, especially if, can you imagine if Detroit the Superbowl with replacement players?

DJ: (30:09)
Well, well first of all, hope, break it down to a Rush song. “Hope is like an endless river.” And that river just keeps on flowing. So that’s why the Lions Fans keep doing it.

Jerry: (30:19)
If they have gotten the championship, if they would’ve gotten their championship. They want it so bad. But would it really be a value?

DJ: (30:25)
Well to Lions fans I think it would be. They’re pragmatic, the end justifies the means. Whatever it takes to get that glittering prize, they’ll do it. So, if replacement players do it…

Jerry: (30:32)
My whole point, if I was going to win, I want to win with my players not to the whatever second line of players. The second chance players cause every player who got cut, you don’t who’s going to be a stud? Johnny Menzel, they’re going to bring him back as a replacement player. All those, that level of player that’s in the Canadian Football League, this Xfl, that’s being started up by Vince McMahon. The other one, the AAL that just folded.

DJ: (30:56)
Yeah, all of those players going to come back. And there’s your replacing players, right there.

Jerry: (31:00)
The owners have no problem using those players. It’s a lot about making the money. And this is where I say the fan. At first I thought it was ignorant, but I’m coming to the point where they’re stupid cause they’ll keep going back no matter what the product that comes out. A Lions fan is a good example. At some point, you got to realize this organization doesn’t care about winning, it’s about money, but yet you got these people that want that champions. They’ll keep going back and pay that money to see a product that’s inferior. Yet, if you go to a restaurant and you get into your food, you go back the next night, you probably, you would hope not. But these fascists go right back and they’re all open arms knowing full well, we might not win, but I just love it. I’m going to use the mindset of high school. You got to root for your high school team. You would never root for Divine Child if you went to Bishop Borgess or Catholic central. It’s always cause you, you’re young. It’s that no matter what, no matter how bad you are, um,

DJ: (31:52)
Be true to your school.

Jerry: (31:53)
One of, yeah, be true to your school. One of the, uh, uh, ticket. We went, I forget what school, but he didn’t win a game all four years in high school football yet every year, senior year they went out there, you know, cheering there team. Hoping for that win. When the mentality goes a little bit more when we get into college. But then when you get to the NFL in the city, now you must root for the Lions. Even though they would ever put up, you know, turns, you know, every single year you must root for them. You must be loyal to your city. Now is no, it’s a business.

DJ: (32:20)
Well that’s exactly it. It’s reflection of the top down. If you look at Illitch, he cared about winning. So he brought, even with even though the Tigers didn’t win, he brought in to try to win and he won for the Red Wings. The Lions owners don’t, Fords don’t care about winning. They care about making money. They care about packing the seats.

Jerry: (32:37)
I won’t say what star, but a former long, long time Detroit Tigers Star, his wife is now in the uh, health care where I, where I work at. And he brought up why don’t know why it wasn’t a Yankee fan…

DJ: (32:47)
Why you weren’t a Tiger fan.

Jerry: (32:49)
Yeah. Why wasn’t a Tiger fan and why I was a Yankee fan? And I had to literally tell them that literally since I’ve been around, it’s been 68 and 84 tigers won two world championships. Okay, so for the remaining, what, 30 some 40 some years it just pure misery. That’s what I have because I live in Detroit. I get to just two and the rest I have to suffer. No, I want to go to where it’s a contender. They’re not going to win and be you. But they contend and they have the owner that wants to win. They’re going to pay that luxury tax. And I even brought up to him about Kansas City and he even acknowledged that Pittsburgh and Kansas City, we’re using luxury tax just to put the money in the owner’s pockets. They weren’t going back and paying the players. You See New York, will pay the luxury tax. They don’t care. They want to win. Detroit does not want to pay the luxury tax. Most clubs don’t. Now the Guy Dave Dombrowski who was the GM for the Tigers is now in Boston and they’re paying on luxury tax. What are they doing? They’re off to the best of this year. But last year they tore it up and the bad part is, do you know how many ex-Tigers are on that team? There’s quite a few. Quite a few. So the point being is yeah, it’s not just where you live but they get that high school mentality. I think they have to. With the NFL, we get back to the union holdout, owners want their money, they got their profit margins and they already know what week we are going to hold out and they will bring replacement players in and I don’t even think any (of them) worried about it cause they will get their money. The TV money’s there. Isn’t like the old days. Remember when the Pontiac Silverdome if they didn’t sell out, you didn’t watch the game.

DJ: (34:13)
Yeah the blackouts

Jerry: (34:14)
and even into Canada, you got to watch it now. That hasn’t happened anymore. If it’s half empty stadium, they still gonna televise that because the broadcasting rights have included that now there are no blackouts. They are playing such a…,

DJ: (34:28)
wait a minute, wait a minute. I don’t know if it’s still the case. I haven’t bought a package, but at least for the hockey, if you didn’t get to watch the, the local, if you had to watch it on Fox Detroit, you couldn’t watch it on the Nhl that came through with Season Ticket,

Jerry: (34:42)
no, no. Correct. No, you’re a correct. That’s absolutely correct. But back in the day, even with Fox before Direct ticket, the NFL Ticket came out. Fox could not be a blackout if the Lions didn’t sell out three quarters of the building

DJ: (34:55)
and it was like the Friday before.

Jerry: (34:57)
Correct. And that has had, that rule is gone. They could literally be an empty stadium and they’re still gonna show that game because the revenue is still coming from the TV contract. So the owners don’t care anymore. They’re going to get their money from the TV contracts. The players wanted more of that and I think the last time, they gave up less so a little bit. They’re have it out about getting less money and the owners are getting more. This is all about, again, it goes to the owners getting so much money when they’re the owner.

DJ: (35:21)
It kind of breaks down “North Dallas Forty” “when you say it’s a sport I say it’s a business…”

Jerry: (35:25)
Every single time, but if you want a Jerry Richardson now the NFL just made him sell his team but he used to play and he bought a team and I think Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter, there are few players that become an owner, but they were watching their money. Not every player can do that.

DJ: (35:41)
Mario Lemieux.

Jerry: (35:42)
There you go, watching his money. I think Gretzky has a part ownership in um, the Oilers. The point being is that every player can do that.

DJ: (35:49)
Wasn’t it Arizona? I could be wrong about Gretzky. I thought he had, I don’t know.

Jerry: (35:52)
It might be, it might be the Coyotes, but he has a stake in a team like Jordan. He’s with the Wizard now with the Bulls. These guys were smart enough to save their money, but they’re not players now. They’re owners. It’s about making money. They have their profit margins and they’re going to hit that period no matter what. So at the end of the day, yes, they’re going to come back and they’re going to bring a replacement players and it’ll be a long strike. And I think the next year, halfway through those settle.

DJ: (36:17)
This is a separate issue, but I would like to have seen what would have happened if Mario Lemieux was playing and owning the Penguins, if they went on strike, what would have happened? He would, he would have that strike against himself.

Jerry: (36:26)
That would’ve been a, there’s a, a weird situation to be in. A conflict of interest if there ever was one.

DJ: (36:30)
Yes, true.

Jerry: (36:32)
But if you guys have anything, especially about the union, I know there are a lot of people out there who feel very differently about the union. So please get ahold of us.

DJ: (36:39)
It’s a pro union state.

Jerry: (36:40)
Yes. So get ahold of us. Let us hear it.

DJ: (36:42)
And get a hold of us once again at GrandDesignsPodcast.com. Our email is GrandDesignsPodcast@Yahoo. Twitter’s is @granddesignspod and our handle for Instagram is GrandDesignsPodcast. This is the grand designs podcast. Who are you listening to?