The following letter from commissioner Mark Cohon was sent to CFL players on Wednesday. May 21, 2014 Dear CFL Players: On May 15, 2014, we presented your Executive Committee with a full and comprehensive offer that unfortunately was rejected. We believe that this offer is fair and reasonable, and we want to share its details with you. If ratified by the Players, the CFL offer would provide the following: Financial Terms - Increase the salary cap by 9% this season from $4,400,000 to $4,800,000 per team (and further increasing by $50,000 each year over the following five years to $5,050,000)- Effectively increase the average player salary up to 12% this season from $82,904 to $92,917 (and further increasing over the following five years)- Increase the minimum player salary by 11% this season from $45,000 to $50,000 (and further increasing to $55,000 over the following five years)- A further increase to the salary cap of $100,000 per team if the CFL receives more television revenue from TSN under a renegotiated broadcast agreement for each remaining year on the CBA- Maintain the $450,000 annual payment to the CFLPA for Player marketing and other rights This has been a long and difficult process for all involved. And when it comes right down to it, we just want to play. So, we have also offered to pay a ratification bonus of $3,000 to veteran Players and $1,000 to rookie Players (on a team roster as at June 22, 2014) if this agreement is ratified on or before June 2, 2014. Player Safety & Welfare - Immediately add two players to each teams Active Roster - Immediately restrict the number of contact practices during the regular season- Maintain 2013 CFL policy to restrict the number of contact practices during training camp- Maintain all current Player pension, medical plan and life insurance benefits- Maintain all CFL annual payments for Player counselling and rehabilitation support under the CFL-CFLPA Drug Policy On May 20, 2014 your Executive Committee provided us with their financial proposal in response to our offer. The CFLPAs financial proposal provides for a salary cap increase to $6.24 million in 2014, as well as approximately $240,000 per team per year in other monetary increases to pre and post-season compensation and pension plan contributions per year. From 2015 forward, significantly more would be added to salary cap based on a revenue sharing model. We advised the CFLPA in no uncertain terms that their proposal was not realistic, and would not form the basis for any financial settlement. In fact, it would threaten the very existence of the CFL. We have obviously rejected the CFLPA proposal today in negotiations, and we have told your Executive Committee that we are prepared to meet in bargaining at any time once they are prepared to discuss a fair and reasonable settlement that makes sense for both the Players and the League. Over the last five years, we have improved the foundation of our league. However, our work in this regard is not yet complete. Continued investment, focus and effort is required to achieve our vision of a strong, stable, and sustainable CFL. And while we remain mindful of the additional steps we must take, we also recognize the progress, together with the Players, that we have already made. And this progress is reflected in this offer. The CFL offer strikes an appropriate balance of, on the one hand, providing significant compensation increases and health & safety improvements to the Players while, on the other hand, creating an environment in which the League and its teams can continue to build for a strong and stable future. It provides a fair share to the Players, and helps us to effectively manage our businesses with a view to a strong future - for everyone. Over the last 25 years, with limited exceptions, CFL teams have either operated at a financial loss or struggled to generate even the slightest amount of profit. There are numerous factors that contributed to this, but central among them was the unbalanced relationship between revenues and all costs. Quite simply, the revenues being generated from the primary revenue streams of ticket sales, television, and sponsorships were insufficient to meet the essential operating requirements of the teams. Investments were needed in infrastructure (notably in stadiums and training facilities), and in modernizing our operations (i.e. developing our internet capabilities, and actively building competitive brands in our largest markets). However, without operating profits these investments were either insufficient, or not made at all, at both the League and team levels. A reasonable, fixed salary cap provides the foundation for a sensible business model. The League and teams have started to invest in their own futures. They have increased the skill and professionalism of their business leaders and staff, consistently and thoughtfully begun to strengthen their brands in their local markets, and have spent or committed $175 million in private money towards major stadium and infrastructure projects to create a modern CFL. Instead of reverting back to the days of old - limited investment, limited growth, significant instability, and a stagnant or declining business - we have a credible opportunity to boldly look to the future. In this new scenario, everybody ultimately wins. If you have any questions about this offer, please speak with your teams Players Association representative or a member of your Executive Committee. I want to thank you for considering this offer. This is not an easy process. The business side of football is never as much fun as the game itself. But we all share a responsibility to ensure that our league is strong for this generation of CFL fans and those that follow. Thank you for your consideration and your dedication to our League. Mark CohonCommissionerCanadian Football League . Last year, Islanders forward Colin Mcdonald released a "Do It For Colin" campaign to promote his teammate and friend John Tavares for the EA sports honour:The most popular sports voting video ever has to go to Chris Bosh who showcased his comedic abilities in his effort to get fans to vote him into the 2008 All Star Game:You can vote for TJ and other star players for the NHL 15 cover vote here. . Like a magic trick, the puck popped out behind Stalock in the San Jose net. While Sharks coach Todd McLellan decried the legality of the tiebreaking goal, the Los Angeles Kings celebrated their latest, greatest escape yet.
http://www.cheap76ersjerseysauthentic.c ... son-jersey. Knapp defeated American Alison Riske 6-3, 7-5 to secure Italys victory in the best-of-five series. She held a 5-2 lead in the second set, only to let Riske tie it at five. .A. remained bitter for Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers on the long flight back home to New York. .com) - There may be a debate in Philadelphia about who should be the starting quarterback of the Eagles.OXNARD, Calif. -- Tony Romo will play his first game for the Dallas Cowboys since undergoing back surgery for a herniated disk last December. Romo will start for the Cowboys in Saturdays exhibition game against the Baltimore Ravens. Romo missed Dallas exhibition opener against San Diego as the Cowboys are easing him back into things after his second back surgery in the past two years. Romo said he gave no thought to skipping the preseason to make sure he stayed healthy, saying the only way to get better at football is to play football. It will be his first chance to play in a game under new play caller Scott Linehan. "I think you have to play in the preseason," Romo said. "Obviously, some people cant, but I do know from my perspective, this game is not something where you can show up and think that you can do it. I think its been proven far too many times that if you take too long of a break or dont get reps under you that you will be exposed in certain areas." Coach Jason Garrett said he has no expectations about what he will see from Romo and is just looking forward to seeing him back in a game. "Just go out and play," Garrett said. "We ask our players to get prepared for any situations. We try to prepare them as coaches and its their job to go play." Romo sustained the injury against Washington last Dec. 22 but stayed in and threw a game-winning touchdown pass to keep Dallas playoff hopes alive. He had surgery two days before the Cowboys lost to Philadelphia with Kyle Orton at quarterback in a season-ending loss that kept Dallas out of the playoffs. The surgery in December was the second procedure on Romos back in an eight-month span. He had a cyst removed before the start of off-season practices last year and didnt do any significant work until training camp. Romo was held out of competitive situations throughout the off-season this year and the Cowboys limited his throws early in training camp.dddddddddddd But Romo has looked more like himself in recent days and is ready to play against the Ravens. "I felt like this was a big week for Tony," tight end Jason Witten said. "Early in camp they were resting him some and we did not have him every day. I thought he did a really good job going the right places with the ball, good zip on the ball, leading us on the 2-minute drive with the same intensity he always has. I felt like this was a really big week for our team and felt hes done a really great job setting the tempo for us." Romo said he has no worries about how he will react to the first hit on his injured back, saying he got past that after a collision with running back DeMarco Murray a few days ago. "The second hit is just nothing," he said. "It will be easy." Backup Brandon Weeden played well in Romos place in the exhibition loss to San Diego, completing 13 of 17 passes for 107 yards and one touchdown. But the Cowboys know their hopes for success this season ride on Romo. The 34-year-old is coming off another strong season, having thrown for 3,828 yards and 31 touchdowns in 15 games in 2013. He also nearly cut his interceptions in half, throwing 10 after having 19 passes picked off in 2012. Even that wasnt enough to get the Cowboys back to the playoffs for the first time since 2009. Instead, they finished 8-8 for the third straight season. "Every game that you play youre not guaranteed anything," Romo said. "Its special just to play football. Its special to get to play for the team I play for. Its special to get out there and put the helmet on. For me I dont take that for granted. I know that its a great feeling when I do get to go out there." ' ' '
