Union asks prospects to boycott NFL Draft

Union asks prospects to boycott NFL Draft


The dream of top college prospects is to hear their name called in the first round of the NFL Draft, to walk out onto the stage at Radio City Music Hall, don the hat of their new team and then receive a hearty handshake and perhaps a hug from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

That memorable moment looks as if it will be denied to defensive linemen Nick Fairley and Da'Quan Bowers -- possible No. 1 picks going to the Panthers -- as well as quarterback prospects Blaine Gabbert, Jake Locker and Cam Newton. In another sign of the contention infiltrating the NFL labor battle -- set for an April 6 hearing in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis -- ESPN is reporting the NFL Players Association is contacting all the top prospects and instructing them not to attend the NFL Draft event in Manhattan on April 28-30.

As of yesterday, the NFLPA -- even though it decertified last week -- had contacted 17 players expected to receive invitations to attend the first round of the draft April 28, ESPN reported. If the boycott comes about, it will make for an embarrassing evening. Goodell presumably would announce the pick, but there would be no player there to greet him on the stage.

The union reportedly is considering having the top prospects appear on a competing network for interviews during the Draft.

The league, obviously, would prefer that not happen.

"We plan to invite the 15-20 top prospects and their families to New York as we normally do for this once-in-a-lifetime experience," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in a statement. "And, as always, it is the decision of the players and their families as to whether they attend."

The next step in this painful and tedious process is set for April 6, the day a hearing date has been set in the federal lawsuit filed by the players against the league. The big news here is the hearing is scheduled to come in front of U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson in Minnesota. The players were hoping the case would be heard by Justice David Doty, who since the early 1990s has overseen several NFL labor issues and regularly sided with the players in his rulings.

There is little or no chance of any mediated negotiations prior to the hearing.

The players are seeking an injunction to prevent the NFL teams from engaging in a lockout, which was instituted last Friday at midnight. The case, according to reports, first went to Judge Richard Kyle, who recused himself for unspecified reasons. It was reassigned to Judge Patrick Schiltz and yesterday Schiltz cited a conflict of interest because he represented the NFL in several cases as a private practice attorney. The case then went to Nelson.

A ruling is expected within two weeks of the hearing and if a preliminary injunction is granted, the lockout will be lifted and the NFL will open up with the start of free agency, likely under the 2010 guidelines.

One politician, Michigan Rep. John Conyers, said he is seeking to eliminate the NFL's antitrust exemption for broadcast contracts. That exemption allows the league to sign TV deals for all teams, an arrangement that has pumped money into what has become a $9 million industry. Conyers is the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee. The committee chairman, Texas Republican Lamar Smith, has indicated he will not support that legislation.

On a conference call, Saints quarterback Drew Brees, one of the plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against the league, called the NFL's final offer last Friday "an unreasonable proposal." Kevin Mawae, the president of the NFLPA, said it is "a complete lie" that the players walked away from negotiations.

Michele Bachmann State Of The Union Response: Speech Attacks ObamaCare, Stimulus

Michele Bachmann State Of The Union Response: Speech Attacks ObamaCare, Stimulus & More

First Posted: 01/25/11 10:02 PM Updated: 01/25/11 10:42 PM

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Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) is delivering herown rebuttal to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday night despite Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) being tapped to give the official Republican response.

Prior to the president's address, it was reportedthat CNN would be the only cable network to carry the Tea Party favorite's speech.

Bachmann suggested she's "not in competition with Paul Ryan," according to CNN.

The Atlantic relays advanced excerpts of Bachmann's remarks.

Click here for live coverage of the 2011 State of the Union.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

After the $700 billion bailout, the trillion-dollar stimulus, and the massive budget bill with over 9,000 earmarks that the President signed, many of you implored Washington to please stop spending money we don't have.

But, instead of cutting, we saw an unprecedented explosion of government spending and debt at President Obama's direction; unlike anything we have seen in the history of our country.

For two years President Obama made promises... He claimed that he would find solutions to fix our economy and help create jobs.

Well, here are a few suggestions:

The President could stop the EPA from imposing a job-destroying cap-and-trade system.

The President could agree with House Republicans and commit himself to signing a Balanced Budget Amendment.

The President could also agree to an all-of-the-above energy policy whereby we increase American energy production, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, reduce the price of gas at the pump, and create good-paying jobs in the U.S.

The President could turn back some of the 132 regulations put in place in the last two years that each have an impact of $100-million or more on our economy.

Thanks to all of you, there's reason to hope that real spending cuts are coming. Last November many of you went to the polls and voted out big-spending politicians and you put in their place men and women who have come to Washington with a commitment to follow the Constitution and cut the size of government. And I believe that we are in the early days of a history-making turn here in the House of Representatives.

Last week we voted to repeal ObamaCare, and each day going forward, we must work hard to dismantle the massive government expansion that has happened over the past two years.

Full Text: Michelle Bachmann Response to the State of the Union

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Tuesday, January 25, 2011 | 10:38 p.m.

Good evening, my name is Congresswoman Michele Bachmann from Minnesota's 6th District.

Two years ago, when Barack Obama became our President, unemployment was 7.8 percent and our national debt stood at what seemed like a staggering $10.6 trillion dollars.

We wondered whether the President would cut spending, reduce the deficit and implement real job-creating policies.

Unfortunately, the President's strategy for recovery was to spend a trillion dollars on a failed stimulus program, fueled by borrowed money.

The White House promised us that all the spending would keep unemployment under 8 percent.

Not only did that plan fail to deliver, but within three months the national jobless rate spiked to 9.4 percent. And sadly, it hasn't been lower for 20 straight months. While the government grew, we lost more than 2 million jobs.

Let me show you a chart. [CHART]

Here are unemployment rates over the past ten years. In October 2001, our national unemployment rate was at 5.3 percent. In 2008 it was at 6.6 percent. But, just eight months after President Obama promised lower unemployment, that rate spiked to a staggering 10.1 percent.

Today, unemployment is at 9.4 percent with about 400,000 new claims every week.

After the $700 billion bailout, the trillion-dollar stimulus, and the $410 billion spending bill with over 9,000 earmarks, many of you implored Washington to please stop spending money we don't have.

But, instead of cutting, we saw an unprecedented explosion of government spending and debt, unlike anything we have seen in the history of our country.

[CHART]

Deficits were unacceptably high under President Bush, but they exploded under President Obama's direction, growing the national debt by an astounding $3.1 trillion-dollars.

What did we buy?

Instead of a leaner, smarter government, we bought a bureaucracy that tells us which light bulbs to buy, and which will put 16,500 IRS agents in charge of policing President Obama's healthcare bill.

ObamaCare mandates and penalties will force many job creators to stop offering health insurance altogether, unless yours is one of the more-than-222 privileged companies or unions that has received a government waiver.

In the end, unless we fully repeal ObamaCare, a nation that currently enjoys the world's best healthcare may be forced to rely on government-run coverage that will have a devastating impact on our national debt for generations to come.

For two years President Obama made promises just like the ones we heard him make tonight. Yet still we have high unemployment, devalued housing prices and the cost of gasoline is skyrocketing.

Here are a few suggestions for fixing our economy:

The President could stop the EPA from imposing a job-destroying cap-and-trade system.

The President could support a Balanced Budget Amendment.

The President could agree to an energy policy that increases American energy production and reduces our dependence on foreign oil.

The President could also turn back some of the 132 regulations put in place in the last two years, many of which will cost our economy $100 million or more.

And, the President should repeal ObamaCare and support free market solutions like medical malpractice reform and allow all Americans to buy any healthcare policy they like anywhere in the United States.

We need to start making things again in this country, and we can do that by reducing the tax and regulatory burdens on job creators.

America will have the highest corporate tax rate in the world. Look no further to see why jobs are moving overseas.

But, thanks to you, there's reason to hope that real spending cuts are coming. Last November you went to the polls and voted out big-spending politicians and you put in their place men and women with a commitment to follow the Constitution and cut the size of government.

I believe that we are in the early days of a history-making turn.

Please know how important your calls, visits, and letters are to the maintenance of our liberties. Because of you, Congress responded and we are starting to undo the damage that's been done.

We believe in lower taxes, a limited view of government and the exceptionalism of America. And I believe America is the indispensible nation.

Just the creation of this nation was a miracle. Who's to say that we can't see a miracle again?

The perilous battle that was fought in the pacific, at Iwo Jima, was a battle against all odds, and yet the image of the young G.I.s in the incursion against the Japanese immortalizes their victory. These six young men raising the flag came to symbolize all of America coming together to beat back a totalitarian aggressor.

Our current debt crisis we face today is different, but we still need all of us to pull together. We can do this.

And that's the hope we hold tonight as Americans. We will push forward to reclaim the greatness of our country and to proclaim the liberty upon which we were founded.

And we will do so because we the people will never give up on this great nation.

God bless you, and God bless America.