In the day's least surprising news, agents representing many of the top NFL stars have thrown their support behind the NFLPA as the league and union negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement. Drew Rosenhaus, one of the power agents in the NFL world, threw his weight behind the NFLPA on Saturday, and was joined by power agents Joel Segal, Tom Condon and Ben Dogra. With the CBA set to expire at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, the NFLPA and the agents are working to prepare players for what appears to be an inevitable lockout.
In a show of solidarity, Rosenhaus and others met with the media on Saturday and voiced support for the cause while saying their players were ready for a lockout, and have been for two years (via Philly.com).
In a rare show of unified purpose, four of the league's most powerful agents told reporters that they are behind the NFLPA and that players are ready for an extended lockout, even one that lasts the entire season.
"As soon as De Smith got this job, the NFLPA sent out a lot of communication, back in 2009, to be prepared for this moment, so we're ready," said agent Drew Rosenhaus, referring to the union's executive director, DeMaurice Smith.
Rosenhaus already spoke out while addressing a potential lockout earlier in the month, saying the NFL needs a full offseason to thrive as a league. Should a lockout come to pass -- and there's no reason to believe it won't at this point -- free agents won't be able to sign contracts as the league grinds to a halt until a new CBA is agreed upon. For agents such as Rosenhaus, that means their players could be stuck in no-man's land indefinitely.
The NFLPA will reportedly decertify ahead of the Thursday deadline as a preemptive move. The union would then take the fight to the courts, filing an injunction against the owners to stop a lockout and slapping the league with an anti-trust lawsuit for good measure. From all indications, this coming week could get messy quick.
For more on the negotiations, check out our NFL lockout StoryStream.