Raiders players voice concerns over new CBA
With players voting 1,019-959 to ratify the NFL’s new collective bargaining agreement, ensuring labor peace for the next 11 years, players have expressed mixed reaction to the new deal.
About 500 players did not vote on it, and with a margin of 60 votes, those players certainly could have changed the outcome. Now, among other potential cons for the players, the NFL will switch to a 17-game schedule as early as 2021.
Most Raiders players have kept quiet throughout the voting period, but linebacker Will Compton, slated to become an unrestricted free agent at the start of the new league year, gave voice to some of his concerns on Twitter.
“What sucks to see are guys who are clearly upset with the vote but didn’t go to the NFLPA meetings when votes were still on the line,” Compton tweeted. “I went as a soft yes, to a vote no. Not because I think it was a terrible deal but because I think more could’ve been negotiated. Hard to get all of the boys on the same page within days amidst the emotion and sense of urgency.”
Compton, who started four games for the Raiders in 2019, added that the owners “knew what they were doing” by separating and dividing the vote between players.
The most prominent Raiders player to comment has been running back Josh Jacobs, who tweeted that he was “Hella disappointed” and “The CBA sucks.”
As for more social media reaction from the Raiders, cornerback Nevin Lawson, who recently re-signed with the team on a one-year deal, retweeted Seahawks safety Quandre Diggs, who said, “Y’all really let these people add another game and playoff game… with no extra bye week.. bamboozled.”
And running back Jalen Richard, who recently re-signed with the Raiders on a two-year deal, questioned the electorate for not voting, retweeting one comment with one word: “Weirdos.”
Browns center J.C. Tretter was elected president of the NFL Players Association last week and released a statement saying, in part: “We understand that not all deals are perfect, and we don’t take the gains we wanted, but couldn’t get, lightly. We now must unite and move forward as a union. … Our job is never done, and we all must work together as one team to build for a better future.”
Contact Myles Simmons at msimmons@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350. Follow @MylesASimmons on Twitter.