Public anger shifts toward the players

Associated Press

NFL fans want their football. Some believe the owners tried to give it back to them, only to have the players balk.

When owners approved a tentative labor deal on Thursday, fans, like NFL commissioner Roger Goodell thought it was “time to get back to football.” Not quite. Players have yet to ratify the agreement, and that has surprised and enraged many.

Former pro quarterback Jim Miller hosted a four-hour show Friday on SiriusXM NFL Radio and estimated at least 60 percent of the callers were angry with the players.

“People are somewhat shocked the players haven’t approved this deal as well,” Miller said. “I think there is definite anger [toward the players]. The callers feel everything was negotiated and this deal should be done.

“But when the information gets out there that the players are just trying to make sure it is a fair deal, maybe some of the fans will temper that anger.”

So was Friday’s nonvote by the players a public relations gaffe, or prudent strategy?

“For the players to come out and say that they were just handed a deal yesterday, and they didn’t know what was in it, I think that’s a bunch of junk,” said Rick Kaplan, an investment manager in Houston who’s been a Texans season ticket holder since 2002, the team’s inaugural year. “If they’ve been negotiating, then they should know 99 percent of what’s in the deal. For all this hoopla coming out, like, ‘Oh, we haven’t seen it,’ that’s just showmanship on the players’ side.”

But those who make a living molding images and dealing with crisis management say there’s no reason to come down on the NFLPA for taking time to make sure the 10-year deal is a fair one.

“I don’t think it’s a real big PR hit for the players, and I don’t think they are being portrayed as bad guys, nor the owners as the good guys,” said John Totaro, president of New York-based Totaro Communications. “I think that the fans are disgusted with the total situation and just want football to start on time. They see the whole situation as bad.

“The constant perception that has been prevalent throughout the lockout is billionaire owners having a dispute with millionaire players. The average person cannot relate to that.”