THIS IS BREAKING NEWS...

NFL owners have voted 24 to 32 in favor of changes to the rules regarding overtime for the postseason, only, but that could change in the future.

The change will now see the following for postseason play:

• The team that wins the coin-toss can win the game on a touchdown;
• If the team winning the coin-toss scores a field goal instead of a touchdown, the opposing team gets one possession to tie with a FG or win with a TD;
• If the game is tied on a FG, from there forward, the game will move into sudden-death overtime;
• If neither team scores with their possessions, the game would go into sudden-death OT

According to Peter King via Twitter, the four nay votes were Buffalo, Minnesota, Baltimore, and Cincinnati.

Chris Mortensen reports via Twitter that while the current change is only for the postseason, it will be discussed in May to amend for regular season.

The National Football Post reports that, “According to league sources, the influence of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell swayed the ownership as he endorsed the proposal.”

According to Brian McCarthy, the NFL's PR rep via Twitter, There have been 27 OT postseason games since 1958. In 22 cases, both teams had at least 1 possession.

The NFL is holding a press conference to announce. More details as they become available.

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Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).

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Earlier today, the NFL released Performance-Based Pay distribution data (see NFL Performance-Based Pay Approx. $109.5 Million For 2009), something that has been done since it was collectively bargained back in 2002. But, this year, as opposed to years prior, there was far more information provided, namely the Top 25 amounts paid out in full to active players, and total pool amounts from 2002 to 2009. In previous years, it has simply been a list of the Top 25 players for Performance-Based Pay for the preceding year.

As a primer, here’s how the system works, as defined by the league:

Players become eligible to receive Performance Based Pay in any season during which they play at least one down of the regular season.

Under the system, Performance Based Pay is computed by using a “Player Index.” To produce the index, a player’s regular season playtime (total plays on offense, defense and special teams) is divided by his adjusted regular season compensation (full season salary, prorated portion of signing bonus, earned incentives). Each player’s index is then compared to those of the other players on his team to determine the amount of his pay.

In looking at the data, we reported earlier today:

Approximately $109.5 million of Performance-Based Pay was distributed to players for their performance during the 2009 season.

The pool's growth has slowed from a 112 percent increase from 2002 to 2003, to 5.08 percent from 2008 to 2009. In 2009, 1,956 players received performance-based pay with the average bonus being $55,998. That compares to 1,911 players receiving bonuses in 2008 for an average of $54,547.

The latter deserves more attention as the growth of the pool for PBP has slowed considerably since 2005. In fact, the growth of the pool from 2008 to 2009 is now ostensibly flat (5.46% increase from 2007 to 2008, while the most recent increase from 2008 to 2009 was 5.08%, see table below for details):

Source: National Football League

The question is, why is the league releasing all this extra data that has not been available in years prior? While it is not mentioned, it certainly seems be a point of PR work as part of the on-going labor battle between the NFL and the NFLPA. The release carefully adds the following:

The fund is only paid in League Years in which a Salary Cap exists. Because 2009 was the last year under a Salary Cap system, Performance- Based Pay will not continue in the 2010 League Year, the final League Year of the current CBA.

Reached for comment, George Atallah, the Assistant Executive Director, External Affairs for the NFLPA, used the data as chance to promote the player’s union position, as well.

“The players have always accepted financial transparency,” Atallah said. “Their salaries are public and the NFL has no issue with offering up contract details for players. It’s only appropriate, then, that if the NFL is releasing this information on players, it reciprocate with financial information on teams. You would probably find that those compensation numbers would not be too shabby either.”

The union has repeatedly asked for the league to open their books, but much as has been the case with prior labor negotiation in other pro sports where salary compression has been a chief topic of discussion, don’t look for the NFL to release that information any time soon.

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Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).

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Minnesota Vikings center JOHN SULLIVAN earned the top figure in the NFL’s “Performance-Based Pay” program that awards players for playing time based upon their salary level, the league announced today.

Sullivan, a 2008 sixth-round draft selection from Notre Dame, earned $397,555 in additional pay.

Approximately $109.5 million of Performance-Based Pay was distributed to players for their performance during the 2009 season.

The pool's growth has slowed from a 112 percent increase from 2002 to 2003, to 5.08 percent from 2008 to 2009. In 2009, 1,956 players received performance-based pay with the average bonus being $55,998. That compares to 1,911 players receiving bonuses in 2008 for an average of $54,547/

Players have been paid nearly $600 million during the eight seasons of the Performance-Based Pay program, which was created as part of the NFL’s 2002 Collective Bargaining Agreement extension with the NFL Players Association. The program created a fund that was used as a supplemental form of player compensation based on a comparison of playing time to salary. The fund is only paid in League Years in which a Salary Cap exists.  Because 2009 was the last year under a Salary Cap system, Performance-Based Pay will not continue in the 2010 League Year, the final League Year of the current CBA.

Under the Performance-Based Pay system, players become eligible to receive a bonus distribution in any regular season in which they play at least one official down.

Performance-Based Pay is computed by using a “player index.”  To produce the index, a player’s regular-season playtime (total plays on offense, defense and special teams) is divided by his adjusted regular-season compensation (full season salary, prorated portion of signing bonus, earned incentives).  Each player’s index is then compared to those of the other players on his team to determine the amount of his pay.

ILLUSTRATION OF PERFORMANCE-BASED PAY SYSTEM

Each player on the same team com­petes for his own share of his club’s Performance-Based Pay pool.  The hypothetical example in the table below illustrates how the index works, using a simplified four-player team and a club bonus pool of $1,000,000.  Each player receives his share of the pool depending on how his index compares to those of his teammates.

SELECT READ MORE TO SEE THE TO THE TOP 25 PERFORMANCE-BASED PAY FOR 2009, TOTAL PBP FOR ACTIVE PLAYERS, AND A SUMMARY OF PAY FOR 2002-09

“There’s some guys out there that have made bad business decisions. They took their pensions early because they never went out and got a job. They’ve had a couple divorces and they’re making payments to this place and that place. And that’s why they don’t have money. And they’re coming to us to basically say, Please make up for my bad judgment.” - Drew Brees

When I interviewed Hall of Famer Joe DeLamielleure last July, he told me current players “have no clue” about retired players’ issues.  He said, “Half of them (current players) don’t even know who Walter Peyton is.  You think these young kids are going to bite the hand that feeds them?”

DeLamielleure says Drew Brees’ offer to give two seats on the NFLPA Board of Player Representatives is “window dressing.”  In an open letter to Drew Brees featured on Fourthandgoalunites.com, the Hall of Famer said the resolution was a farce because the two seats would be non-voting.  “Retired players may be sitting at the table, but when it comes time to vote….. We have to sit quietly in the corner and watch.”

DeLamielleure covers a variety of issues in his letter including health care benefits for retired players compared to current players.  The Hall of Famer notes that Tom Condon, Brees’ agent, sits on the NFLPA appointments to the Board that reviews claims for disability.  He also attacks Brees’ commitment to increase health benefits when “in 1993, there wasn’t much of a plan to speak of.”

In the Letter, DeLamielleure goes at Brees like he’s Joe Greene.  The former Buffalo Bills lineman went as far as to say Brees has been silent on certain issues because of his agent.  He said:

“Why would you want to continue a system that gave $462 Million in guaranteed bonuses to the first 32 players selected in last years draft? Those guys had never played a single down in the NFL. This year it will happen again and that is a slap in the face of all retired players who built the foundations of the NFL that you are now standing on………and benefitting from.  Would your silence on this issue have anything to do with the fact that Tom Condon is your agent and that he would stand to lose millions of dollars if the rookie wage cap was put in place. I certainly hope not.”

Joe D wraps up his open letter with disgust toward many current players saying, “Like a lot of retired players, I’m sick and tired of hearing multi-millionaire players talk about increasing their own benefits, while at the same time giving lip service to retired players.”

NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith said after being elected that he “represented retired players,” which, of course by the laws of the NFLPA, he doesn’t.  But, if the NFLPA thinks its going to gain retired players on their side in the upcoming collective bargaining agreement, thus far, they aren’t doing so well.

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Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter

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The Associated Press reported Saturday that current free agent and former Tennessee Titans center Kevin Mawae was unanimously re-elected as president of the NFL Players Association during the union’s board of player representatives meeting.

Mawae ran against Baltimore Ravens cornerback Domonique Foxworth, who is currently the youngest member of the NFLPA's executive committee.  Arizona Cardinals cornerback Ralph Brown told Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Daily that while Foxworth has a bright future, Mawae was re-elected because of his experience.  "They are very close and they promised eachother before they ran...that they were going to stay together and stay united," Brown said.

Mawae will serve his second straight two-year term beginning this season.  Mawae, who has been elected to the Pro Bowl eight times, is a 16-year veteran of the NFL.

“I’m thankful and humbled by my re-election as president of the NFL Players Association,” Mawae said in a statement. “I believe it shows the faith and belief that the board has in me and my ability to continue to lead the players of the NFL through a period of uncertainty.”

The 2010 season will be the first since 1993 without a salary cap and the current collective bargaining agreement expires in March 2011.  With a work stoppage possible, Mawae’s re-election and position become increasingly important.

"You don't change leaders in the middle of a war," Mawae told SportsBusiness Daily.  "I certainly know that in the last 17 years, this is the toughest situation that the union has ever faced."

Mawae told Mullen that he sees staying on as an obligation and will take the fight to the end.

Also elected to serve on the NFLPA executive committee were Charlie Batch, Scott Fujita, Sean Morey and Brian Waters They join current committee members Mawae, Drew Brees(notes), Brian Dawkins, Domonique Foxworth, Tony Richardson, Jeff Saturday and Mike Vrabel.

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Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter

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