Sources close to OSG Sports that are familiar with the labor dispute within Arena Football are telling the HQ that business may get interesting during the televised season opener on the Shield's Network...
Their season opening broadcast is scheduled to be Orlando hosting the Pittsburgh Power. In an interview with Austin Lyon of the Orlando Sentinel newspaper, Preds managing partner Brett Bouchy says there will be a product on the floor- who the product will be may be the issue...
"I can guarantee there will be a game, and it will be a great product."
Right now, arena players are receiving $400 a week to play and they're looking for an increase of up to $700. Negotiations have been ongoing for several weeks with no luck in a settlement.
From Lyon:
AFL players union executive director Ivan Soto says negotiations with the league have been ongoing for eight months, with little progress.
"To this point, they've [the league] not been forthcoming,'' he said. "It is the most bizarre circus-show negotiation I've ever been involved in in 18 years.''
"We've made an offer which we believe is a significant raise," Bouchy said. "Our players are under contract, and we expect them to fulfill that contract."
The Preds ownership has been working out a set of replacement players in case what the HQ is being told does indeed happen.
The current players are planning to, literally, sit down on the field in Orlando and assume they will be escorted from the building. The replacement players will then take the field for tonight's game.
More when we know more...
Here's highlights from the Preds season opener last year...
Presumably with players that may be sitting down across the league tonight...
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