With the NFL likely facing a work stoppage in the near future, there is major concern that a new Collective Bargaining Agreement will not be reached between the NFL players and owners. Each side wants to win and neither side wants to make concessions.
A stoppage in the country’s most popular sport would be disastrous, and count Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie as someone against it. He recently stated his desire to have the union work everything out with the owners, minimizing the importance of money. Given his profanity-laced criticism of Tom Brady earlier in the playoffs, the harsh words from Cromartie were not surprising. While there was a lot of merit to what he said, such an attitude would hurt the players’ chances in negotiation with the owners. Because of that, his peers were upset.
Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck wrote on his twitter: “Somebody ask Cromartie if he knows what CBA stands for.” Hasselbeck ended up deleting that tweet, but it’s left Antonio no less upset. Check out what the cornerback tweeted in response Thursday:
Both players certainly went overboard with their comments, but Cromartie crossed a line. It’s too bad because I appreciate what he was saying — careers are more important than money. The only difference is there’s money out there that someone will be making, why not have the players pocket a larger share than they are now? They need to show solidarity, and one remark like that can hurt their case and make it seem like they’re willing to cave. You know the owners must love him for his comments. And as Jesper points out in the comments, Cromartie is probably worried about feeding all eight (nine?) of his kids.
