3 months ago
During the slow time, the mind wanders. A question from a viewer during the summer run of #PFTPM sent my relaxed brain wandering in one specific direction. And with the annual Packers shareholder meeting coming on Monday, there's no time like now to trot it out.
The seeds were planted, deliberately or not, by Packers president and CEO Ed Policy. In a March 2026 interview with Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal, Policy expressed an opinion that the current financial realities of NFL ownership make it harder for the only publicly-owned NFL franchise to compete.
“If you think about any other team, they’ve got deep-pocketed owners, most of them are worth significantly more than that, and they could sell less than 10 percent of their team, give up no controlling interest, and raise a heck of a lot more than that,” Policy said.
“Given the pace that the expenses have accelerated over the past few years, if we find ourselves falling behind, it’s going to be really hard to catch up. So, we have to keep ourselves in a position where we’re not falling behind.”
So what if the Packers eventually do fall behind? What happens if, at some point, the powers-that-be decide that the current business model doesn't work?
#business #current #falling #PFTPM
The seeds were planted, deliberately or not, by Packers president and CEO Ed Policy. In a March 2026 interview with Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal, Policy expressed an opinion that the current financial realities of NFL ownership make it harder for the only publicly-owned NFL franchise to compete.
“If you think about any other team, they’ve got deep-pocketed owners, most of them are worth significantly more than that, and they could sell less than 10 percent of their team, give up no controlling interest, and raise a heck of a lot more than that,” Policy said.
“Given the pace that the expenses have accelerated over the past few years, if we find ourselves falling behind, it’s going to be really hard to catch up. So, we have to keep ourselves in a position where we’re not falling behind.”
So what if the Packers eventually do fall behind? What happens if, at some point, the powers-that-be decide that the current business model doesn't work?
#business #current #falling #PFTPM
4 months ago
Monday was the deadline to apply for the supplemental draft. The general belief in league circles is that, in the coming days, the NFL will issue a memo identifying the date of the supplemental draft and the players who will be in the supplemental draft pool.
There's still an open question as to whether the NFL will reject quarterback Brendan Sorsby's application. On Monday's #PFTPM , Sorsby's agent, Ron Slavin, was asked whether there's any reason to think the league could decide to not let him in.
"I would hope not," Slavin said. "I mean, if anybody reads the NCAA investigation, they went through all four years of Brendan's bets. The conclusion was there's never integrity of the game violations. Again, his bets at Indiana were from the dorm room, not on the travel roster. The minute he was on the travel roster, there was never another college football bet ever placed.
"What I keep hearing over and over and over is, 'Oh, can I trust this kid on my roster? Is he gonna bet on games that he plays in?' He had 35 starts in college football. He never bet on any games he played in. He never bet on college football once he actually was playing. Again, I think this was a situation where we've created 18-to-22-year old kids, if they're gonna watch a game, they're gonna put money on it. And at the time, that's what he did. But he never did it again. And, I mean, this is a kid who literally doesn't drink, doesn't smoke. He's just a great kid who, you know, made a mistake at 18. He was getting crucified now, four or five years later."
There continue to be two questions, as it relates to the league's approach to Sorsby. First, will the league let him in the supplemental draft? Second, will he be suspended after he's drafted?
There's still an open question as to whether the NFL will reject quarterback Brendan Sorsby's application. On Monday's #PFTPM , Sorsby's agent, Ron Slavin, was asked whether there's any reason to think the league could decide to not let him in.
"I would hope not," Slavin said. "I mean, if anybody reads the NCAA investigation, they went through all four years of Brendan's bets. The conclusion was there's never integrity of the game violations. Again, his bets at Indiana were from the dorm room, not on the travel roster. The minute he was on the travel roster, there was never another college football bet ever placed.
"What I keep hearing over and over and over is, 'Oh, can I trust this kid on my roster? Is he gonna bet on games that he plays in?' He had 35 starts in college football. He never bet on any games he played in. He never bet on college football once he actually was playing. Again, I think this was a situation where we've created 18-to-22-year old kids, if they're gonna watch a game, they're gonna put money on it. And at the time, that's what he did. But he never did it again. And, I mean, this is a kid who literally doesn't drink, doesn't smoke. He's just a great kid who, you know, made a mistake at 18. He was getting crucified now, four or five years later."
There continue to be two questions, as it relates to the league's approach to Sorsby. First, will the league let him in the supplemental draft? Second, will he be suspended after he's drafted?
4 months ago
For Wednesday’s #PFTPM , a viewer from the U.K. asked a question regarding three significant legal issues the NFL is facing. Between the Jon Gruden case, the Brian Flores case, and the Sunday Ticket case, which one will have a new development first?
The most likely case to move forward is the Sunday Ticket litigation.
The Gruden and Flores lawsuits have entered the discovery phase, which will feature information-gathering activities spanning months. The Sunday Ticket case is pending on appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
The issues have been briefed. The oral argument has occurred. A ruling could come at literally any time.
And the ruling could be very significant. Two years ago, a jury found that the NFL violated the antitrust laws through the pricing of Sunday Ticket. The league's goal was to price it at a level that discouraged customers from buying it, instead watching whatever games were available in their local markets on CBS and Fox.
The most likely case to move forward is the Sunday Ticket litigation.
The Gruden and Flores lawsuits have entered the discovery phase, which will feature information-gathering activities spanning months. The Sunday Ticket case is pending on appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
The issues have been briefed. The oral argument has occurred. A ruling could come at literally any time.
And the ruling could be very significant. Two years ago, a jury found that the NFL violated the antitrust laws through the pricing of Sunday Ticket. The league's goal was to price it at a level that discouraged customers from buying it, instead watching whatever games were available in their local markets on CBS and Fox.
