'82 Chronology-Bargaining Chips

Event Date: November 3rd, 1982

Event Description: Turner Talks

Source: United Press International

The striking NFL Players Association struck out in two directions Wednesday in efforts to energize stalled negotiations with the Management Council in the 44th day of the walkout.

While the NFL was calling off a seventh weekend of games and bargaining continued between both sides and private mediator Sam Kagel in a midtown hotel, a group of 16 players, including 14 player representatives, were dispatched six blocks away for an impromptu meeting with United States Football League Commissioner Chet Simmons.

Earlier in the day, Ted Turner appeared at the hotel at the request of union head Ed Garvey to reopen discussions about continuing last month's union-sponsored all-star games.

The 16 players, along with union spokesman Dave Sheridan and NFLPA assistant Doug Allen, walked out of the USFL office sporting USFL red, white and blue hats and apparently content they had successfully devised another bargaining tool.

“Right now, there are 352 NFL players who become free agents by Feb. 1...they're in their option year this season. This meeting with the USFL is another tool on our side. We have to consider our options. Turner is one option and this is another. These are contingency plans if management is not interested in a settlement.”

Simmons, who said the union “called us and said they'd like to come by and learn more about the league,” termed the meeting “constructive” and said his league -- which is scheduled to begin March 6 - was naturally interested in possibly absorbing current NFL players who will soon be eligible to play in the USFL.

“We stand by our statement that we will not interfere with the valid, bonafide NFL contract,” said Simmons, “but the question is, what if the player is in his option year? Then we'll give him a chance to talk to the USFL club that has his allocation rights.”

“I think we would be absolutely nuts not to make ourselves available to those players. Overall, this strike has distracted the hell out of me, occupying our time thinking about the possibilities, including extending the NFL season. That would give me a real cause for concern and would be a very inhibiting factor to us.”

“We supplied the United States Football League with the names of the NFL free agents and suggested they did not have to wait until Feb. 1, 1983 to contact them,” Garvey said.

“We still hope to settle this contract dispute with the NFL. One change is we will no longer play games past March 5 because it would extend into the United States Football League season, although one date (NFL Commissioner) Pete Rozelle had mentioned about the Super Bowl was March 7.”

Garvey added, “There is no movements in the talks. There is more movement in the lobby here than at the bargaining table.”

Turner, the maverick owner of baseball's Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA, flew into New York and met with the full contingent of player representatives.

“He talked about what the financial arrangements would be in his league,” said Garvey. “He's very optimistic about how you can put it together. This is the first time our reps met with him as a group.”

Just before the NFL scrubbed a weekend slate of games for the seventh consecutive week, another group of players met with Rozelle for a 100-minute discussion in which they expressed their disenchantment with Management Council tactics.

(Story-UPI/Photo Wikipedia)