The Drumbeat Continues

We alerted you to the possibility of discord between the National Football League and the NFL Player's Association, and now comes further indication that the players are ratcheting things up.

According to a report from the Associated Press (via the NFLPA website) union chief Gene Upshaw "said he expects the NFL's owners to opt out of the current agreement later this year. If that happens, the players' union is ready for a strike or the decertification tactics it used to get free agency after the 1987 walkout, although nothing major would happen until 2010, which would be a year without a salary cap."

At the heart of the current collective bargaining agreement is the fact that the players receive sixty percent of league revenues (though what goes in to that equation is also a matter of contention), and Mr. Upshaw insisted that the players "will not accept anything lower than that figure. And he said if the two sides get to an uncapped year, there would be no turning back."

So, enjoy the 2009 season because by this time in 2010 we may . . . just may . . . be looking at the NFL version of armageddon.