Richard Sherman tells NFL players to save their money and prepare for a strike
The NFL and the NFLPA aren’t as close to preventing a work stoppage as you might think. Despite a Washington Post article Wednesday suggesting the two sides were making progress on a new collective-bargaining agreement (CBA), San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman told players they should save their money and prepare for a strike.
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Sherman’s tweet came hours after the Post article. The NFLPA endorsed Sherman’s stance, retweeting the message with a “100” emoji.
Our players should continue to save their money and be prepared for a work stoppage at the expiration of the Current CBA. Our greatest strength is our solidarity.
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) November 14, 2019
The current CBA expires following the 2020 season. One of the more contentious issues between both sides revolves around adding more regular-season games to the schedule. The owners want to push for 17 or 18 regular-season games. In that scenario, the preseason would be shortened. The players are hesitant to add more games to the regular-season schedule given the physical and mental toll of a 16-game season.
Sherman also threw cold water on the Post’s report that both sides were moving closer to a deal. Sherman — and Los Angeles Rams safety Eric Weddle — disagreed with the Post’s declaration that a 17-game season was “increasingly likely.” Sherman said the league is trying to push a false agenda.
If we agree to 17 game schedule it would be a travesty. Not sure why it's even on the table. Ugh
— Eric Weddle (@weddlesbeard) November 14, 2019
It’s really not. These are tactics from the league using their media connections to push a false story. We aren’t even close to a deal. They are literally pushing out their “proposal” as something we agree with which is ridiculous. Don’t worry brother
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) November 14, 2019
The NFL and NFLPA opened CBA negotiations much earlier than expected in an effort to prevent a strike. While that looked like a positive sign initially, it’s clear there are much bigger issues between the two sides than expected. It could take a full year before the situation gets resolved.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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