Chirurgie » Twitter.Owner Mark Davis called Brown “one

NEW YORK (AP) — Lombardi Trophy. TV contracts. New stadiums. Huge profits.Those are some two-word phrases that mean the most to NFL owners.Another that should be listed: labor peace.That has not been an easily attained objective https://www.raiderslockerroom.com/authentic-derek-carr-jersey , particularly since the NFL Players Association was created in 1956. There have been in-season and preseason strikes and lockouts and contentious negotiations. Costly court actions, too.Even during Paul Tagliabue’s era as commissioner, when there were no disruptions, players pushed hard for freedom of movement and owners sought — usually with success until 1993 — to keep the status quo. It wasn’t until 17 years after baseball players won free agency that their football brethren got it, with some restrictions.In order to ensure the 32 teams remain money-making machines — and can compete for that Super Bowl bauble — there must be a collective bargaining agreement with the players’ union. For two commissioners, Pete Rozelle (1960-89) and Roger Goodell (2006-present), that has proven a difficult challenge.Under Rozelle, there were two strikes and three other work stoppages, though only the strikes affected the regular season. And, to be fair, Rozelle was not involved in negotiations with the union, then led by Ed Garvey; the NFL’s management council had full authority.Goodell, of course, was leading the league in 2011 when there was a 132-day lockout of the players before a 10-year deal was reached.Only Tagliabue avoided the black mark of a labor stoppage. He did so, in great part, because of a strong working relationship with Gene Upshaw, who served as the players’ union president or executive director from 1980 until his death in 2008.“We respected each other,” Tagliabue says. “There was a credibility to what we did. We would say we were going to do something and then do it.“We had an attitude, Gene Upshaw and I, of let’s get in there and see how many issues we can solve by negotiations, instead of a ‘heads I win, tails you lose’ approach. I think that attitude has disappeared for the most part.”It rarely existed during Rozelle’s tenure, when Garvey went up against owners such as Hugh Culverhouse and Joe Robbie and Cowboys President Tex Schramm on the all-powerful management council. All could be acerbic and unbending, causing a deep separation between management and labor that led to several stalemates.Those began before Garvey arrived on the scene in 1971. In July 1968, the NFLPA voted to strike and was locked out during training camp before an agreement was reached on pension benefits — the first CBA between union and league.Two years later, with players locked out of training camp, the union again opted to strike, but a quick solution resulted in a four-year, $19.1 million agreement, though it didn’t address many of the union’s concerns, including freedom of movement for players.In 1974, Garvey led another summer strike by players that ended with no new CBA. The management council’s strong opposition to free agency and the players’ fear of losing a paycheck once again hindered any progress.“It’s hard to remember a time in the ’70s and early ’80s when there was good feeling between management and labor,” says Joe Browne, a key league executive and adviser to commissioners for 50 years. “We fought in the courts more than we negotiated at the bargaining table.”But when the union won a key court battle in 1975 and ’76 that struck down the so-called Rozelle Rule that prohibited player movement, team owners simply refused to bid for players.By 1982, the players found the resolve to strike when it truly mattered: during the regular season. They walked out on Sept. 21 and were gone for 57 days, shortening the season to nine games. And they won some significant gains: an improved salary and benefits package worth at least $1.28 billion over five seasons, and a settlement in which owners paid $60 million that essentially covered what players lost while striking.But no free agency.When that agreement ended, the union again struck after two weeks of the regular season — and was stunned when the league used replacement players. That led to many NFLPA members crossing picket lines, creating a nasty environment that ruined several team’s seasons — and did little to strengthen the union’s bargaining powers.“The NFLPA has a difficult job,” says Don Yee, one of the most respected player agents who represents, among others, Tom Brady. “Irrespective of the leader, it has been historically difficult for football players to stick together during any kind of labor effort. If the players want change and progress, they will have to stick together and be willing to make the necessary sacrifices.”The ’87 strike, embarrassing to all sides, was a major factor in Rozelle leaving as commissioner in 1989, ending a tenure generally acclaimed as the most successful in pro sports. He died in 1996.“The decade of the ’80s was tough on Pete because the league was playing defense on so many fronts,” Browne explains. “There was a general malaise in the league for almost the entire decade.”There were the two work stoppages, three years of battling the USFL, which then folded, and litigation over the Raiders‘ right to unilaterally move from Oakland to Los Angeles.“Pete was physically out of the office a great deal during those months,” Browne adds. “Pete knew there never would be a time when all the league’s problems would be settled in a positive manner. It was enough to convince Pete to step down as commissioner in 1989 after three decades of seven-day work weeks on the job.”Tagliabue already was deeply involved in NFL legal matters and was elected to succeed Rozelle Derek Carr Jersey White , but insisted he lead all labor negotiations. It was a wise and fruitful move: His 17 years in charge resulted in zero work stoppages.And in 1993, Tagliabue and Upshaw hammered out a ground-breaking CBA that included free agency and a salary cap, something only the NBA had at the time — and two provisions that previously faced intense opposition.There were four key elements to the system, which Tagliabue says “made it work for everyone and made it something that could be sustained for decades.”First was player movement with some rights of retention for the teams, something Tagliabue agreed with Upshaw was essential.“Movement was important because under the old reserve clause good players could get stuck behind better players and never get a chance to play and prove themselves,” Tagliabue says.Second, a semblance of market value for the players was established. There will always be a pecking order in which quarterbacks and pass rushers earn the most, but fair pricing had become attainable.Third, the salary cap meant every team would end up with a comparable payroll, regardless of the market.“No Siberias left in terms of getting paid,” Tagliabue says. “Obviously some players are going to be off the charts, but there would be no teams where players don’t want to go because payroll is half of what is elsewhere.”Which meant, lastly, that “all teams should be able to compete, roughly with equal access to players with the draft and free agency and the salary cap,” he explains. “It was understood that competitive balance makes for the best product in most cities, and produces the most revenue. Every team can have a competitive season. And there are no dead-end jobs. That was the key and still is.” Willie Brown established the bump-and-run style of defense the Raiders used for decades, provided the iconic play in Oakland’s first Super Bowl title, and impacted nearly every player who suited up for the team over the past half-century.Brown was the consummate Raider.The Hall of Fame cornerback who helped fuel the Raiders’ success during 12 years on the field before becoming an integral part of the franchise during his post-playing career died on Tuesday after a battle with cancer. He was 78.“Willie Brown was a true Raider and one of the best cornerbacks that ever played the game,” Hall of Fame coach John Madden said. “It was a comfort to a coach to be able to have Willie Brown in the defensive backfield. Willie was a good guy, a team captain, and a true Raider from the day he joined our team in 1967, until he passed away today. He will be missed by me and the entire Raiders organization.”Al Davis acquired Brown for the Raiders in a trade from Denver in 1967 in one of the best moves he made during his Hall of Fame career running the Raiders.Brown went on to have a brilliant career with Oakland, highlighted by his 75-yard interception return for a touchdown against Minnesota that helped the Raiders win their first Super Bowl following the 1976 season.“His legendary performance on the field changed the way the cornerback position was played and his valued guidance as a coach, mentor and administrator permeated the organization and touched countless individuals both on and off the field,” the team said in a statement. “Willie’s loss will leave a tremendous void, but his leadership and presence will always be a major part of the fabric of the Raiders Family.”Brown was one of the game’s best lockdown cornerbacks and fit perfectly in Davis’ preferred bump-and-run style of defense on the Raiders. He intercepted 54 passes, was a first-team All-Pro five times in the AFL and NFL and made the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1984.“I didn’t play DB in college,” Brown told ESPN for a story in 2013. “I just knew that if you beat the hell out of the receivers coming off the line of scrimmage, that was going to affect whether they could catch the ball or not.”His most memorable play came in the Super Bowl against the Vikings on Jan. 9, 1977. With the Raiders leading the game 26-0 in the fourth quarter, Brown intercepted a pass from Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton and raced for the score, prompting the iconic radio call from Raiders announce Bill King: “He looks and throws … intercepted by the Oakland Raiders Willie Brown at the 30, 40, 50 … he’s going all the way! … Old Man Willie! … Touchdown Raiders!”“As a player, coach, and executive, Willie served as a tremendous ambassador for the Raiders and football for more than 50 years,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “He will forever be immortalized by NFL Films with his iconic 75-yard interception return in Super Bowl XI as he ran straight into the camera and our imaginations. After a remarkable 16-year Pro Football Hall of Fame career that he began as an undrafted free agent, Willie went on to become a Raiders coach and later a member of the team’s front office. Willie lived the Raiders’ motto “Commitment to Excellence” with integrity and touched the lives of hundreds of NFL players with his wisdom and wit.”Brown retired two seasons later. He was an assistant coach for the Raiders from 1979-88, was head coach at Long Beach State in 1991, coached at Jordan High School in 1994 and returned to the Raiders when they moved back to Oakland in 1995 as director of staff development.Brown was a regular presence around the team during that time, working with defensive backs like Rod Woodson, Charles Woodson and Nnamdi Asomugha and in more recent years announcing the team’s picks during the annual NFL draft.“Going to miss you Willie! I’ll never forget when you called my name on that stage to welcome me into the Raider family 4 life! Prayers to his family,” quarterback Derek Carr wrote on Twitter.Owner Mark Davis called Brown “one of the greatest to ever play the game.” He thanked Brown for how he treated his mother and Al Davis’ widow, Carol Davis. Mark Davis said Brown always helped Carol Davis up and down the stairs on the plane, joined her for dinners on the road and came to her birthday and Mother’s Day dinners each year.“It was Willie who was her best friend,” Mark Davis said. “We loved and will miss you Willie.”Brown played his college ball at Grambling under the great coach Eddie Robinson. He was undrafted after leaving school and was cut by the Houston Oilers in his first training camp in 1963.He then signed with Denver and became a starter midway through his rookie year and was an AFL All-Pro in his second season.But his greatest moments came with the Raiders.“Willie Brown was the epitome of the Raiders motto of ‘commitment to excellence’ that was integral to the team’s sustained success,” Hall of Fame President David Baker said. “He embodied virtues like passion, integrity, perseverance and always led by example. His character, on and off the field, made all those around him better.”