Sports Briefs
By The Emporia Gazette (Contact)
Originally published 01:53 p.m., May 21, 2008
Updated 01:53 p.m., May 21, 2008
NFL owners end
labor agreement
ATLANTA — NFL owners voted unanimously to end their labor agreement with the players’ union in 2011. The league and union, however, insisted the next three seasons won’t be interrupted by a contract dispute and both sides are working toward a new deal.
The decision by the owners was anticipated, although not this early. The 2006 agreement allowed either side to negate the contract by Nov. 8. Roger Goodell said the owners acted early “to get talks rolling.”
The agreement signed two years ago was to last until 2013 with the option to terminate in 2011, which is what the owners did. League officials and owners, including several who helped push through the last deal, have been saying for almost a year that while the previous contract may have been too beneficial to the owners, the current one had swung too far toward the players.
The owners noted that they are paying $4.5 billion to players this year, just under 60 percent of their total revenues as specified in the 2006 agreement. League revenues are estimated at about $8.5 billion, although none of the teams except the publicly owned Green Bay Packers discloses figures.
Falcons sign QB Ryan
to hefty contract
ATLANTA — For the second time in eight years, the Atlanta Falcons opened the vault and dropped a ton of cash on a franchise quarterback.
Matt Ryan, the No. 3 pick in last month’s draft, signed a $72 million, six-year contract. The announcement of the new deal came with smiles, confident talk of the future and no mention of Michael Vick, the first pick in 2001 who signed a $130 million extension, the richest in the league at the time, in December 2005.
Blank and the Falcons were especially eager to sign Ryan, avoid a holdout and help the franchise move away from the Vick era with new general manager Thomas Dimitroff, new coach Mike Smith and now a new quarterback.
Future Hall of Famer
Mike Piazza retires
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Mike Piazza is retiring from baseball following a 16-season career in which he became one of the top-hitting catchers in history.
The 39-year-old Piazza batted .275 with eight homers and 44 RBI as a designated hitter for Oakland last season, became a free agent and did not re-sign. He was not available to discuss his decision, according to Josh Goldberg, a spokesman for Piazza’s agent Dan Lozano.
Taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 62nd round of the 1988 amateur draft, Piazza became a 12-time All-Star, making the NL team 10 consecutive times starting in 1993.