|
|
Posts Tagged ‘NFL’
Wednesday, September 17th, 2014 by Vbhotla
THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE has been blasted across the board for its handling of Ray Rice’s domestic abuse of his then-fiancée Janay Palmer, as well as for how it dealt with other incidents of domestic violence among its players. Obviously, the NFL has mobilized its PR department as well as hiring staff specifically to deal with domestic violence issues, but it has also attempted to shore up its lobbying wing; The Hill reported Tuesday that the NFL has hired a new top lobbyist.
However, as POLITICO notes, lobbying for an embattled organization, even one as prominent and popular as the NFL, isn’t the most attractive prospect for a government relations professional. New NFL Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs Cynthia Hogan will have to deal with a litany of high-profile legislative issues beyond the Ray Rice case, including the FCC’s review of the sports blackout rule, the controversy over the Washington Redskins’ name and logo, and recent calls to revoke the NFL’s tax-exempt status. Further, POLITICO reports that despite the NFL’s prominence, the pay for the position was thought to be insufficient given the pressure and level of seniority the NFL is seeking for the job.
Despite the immense challenge and pressure Hogan is likely to face, her hire may prove to be a boon for the league. Hogan was a staffer on the Senate Judiciary Committee with then-Senator Joe Biden and helped write the Violence Against Women Act, one of the strongest laws against domestic abuse. This gives her significant credibility to deal with the Ray Rice scandal on the Hill.
It’s likely, given the numerous high-stakes legislative issues that the NFL is facing, that the league will also continue to spend significantly on outside lobbying. According to data from Lobbyists.info, the NFL has spent more than $2.5 million on lobbying since 2012, with $590,000 in the first two quarters of 2014 alone. Given the Ray Rice scandal and mounting pressure on other issues, it seems probable that lobbying expenditures in the second half of 2014 will be even greater.
It remains to be seen if the NFL can weather the legislative and PR disasters of 2014 and regain credibility with fans, women’s groups, legislators, and the media. Although Cynthia Hogan’s hire is a step in the right direction, it’s unclear if the NFL will be able to stem the mounting tide of harmful legislative issues.
Tags: Cynthia Hogan, Janay Palmer, National Football League, NFL, Ray Rice, Roger Gooddell
Posted in Lobbying News | Comments Off on NFL Prepares for Rough Legislative Road
Wednesday, May 18th, 2011 by Vbhotla
As NFL negotiations drag on, it is safe to say football fans and players alike — and even President Obama — are tiring of the on-going battle between the NFLPA and the League over contracts. Top receiver and Twitter celebrity Chad Ochocinco told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution‘s D. Orlando Ledbetter, when prompted about whether or not he’d like to play for the Falcons, “It’s a lockout, man. I’m riding bulls. I don’t want to talk about football.”
On the Hill, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and such former NFL players as Reps. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., and Jon Runyan, R-N.J. have all met with players to discuss the impact of a lockout on the economy and the overall jobs crisis.
The league spent a whooping $675,000 lobbying Congress in the first Online Blackjack quarter of 2011, including $60,000 paid to Elmendorf Ryan, which is registered to lobby solely on labor issues. The NFLPA also dished out $60,000 to Executive Director DeMaurice Smith’s former firm, Patton Boggs LLP, to petition Congress on antitrust and labor concerns. For the league, this number is up from the $545,000 spent in the first quarter of last year, though the issues petitioned remain unchanged. However, the addition of Elmendorf Ryan seems to have been solely in anticipation of a labor fight, as the firm was not registered to lobby on behalf of the league this time last year. The Players’ Association, on the other hand, spent significantly less in Q1 2011 than reported in the same quarter last year, when Patton Boggs was paid $110,000 to fight for the players’ interests.
Tags: antitrust lobbying, labor fight, NFL, NFL lobbyists, NFLPA
Posted in Just for Fun | Comments Off on Off the Hill: NFL Fight Wages on….in Congress
Friday, February 25th, 2011 by Vbhotla
In addition to the AFL-CIO, several Indiana state Delegates have gotten involved in the labor fight between the league and its players union. The AP reports that both of Indiana’s senators and all nine of its representatives have penned a letter to both Roger Goddell and players union president DeMaurice Smith indicating their concern that “a failure to complete a new agreement could lead to a work stoppage affecting the upcoming 2011 NFL season and Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis,” which, according to a Ball State University study, could deprive the state of an estimated $365 million in revenue.
Representatives from the interest of tax payers, NFL fans and the impact a lockout could have overall.
While Congress has steered clear of intervening thus far, some argue that the millions in subsidies the NFL receives give Congress good reason to get involved. But the league expends an extraordinary amount of effort to ensure its interests are recognized on the Hill, spending $2.5 million last cycle alone. And a lot of credit is due to Jeff Miller, the league’s chief lobbyist, for his success in this endeavor. Miller has said that he will not seek congressional interference on a collective bargaining agreement, believing that the parties should be more than capable of reaching a suitable agreement among themselves.
Tags: afl-cio, collective bargaining agreement, Indiana Congressmen, Indiana delegates, jeff miller, NFL, NFL lobbying, nfl lockout
Posted in Advocacy | Comments Off on NFL Fight Presses On
Monday, January 17th, 2011 by Vbhotla
Even in the midst of the playoffs, when fans may not be concentrating on the NFL’s failure to reach a collective bargaining agreement, the NFL Players’ Association has sought to urge Congress to force team owners to act before March 3. Between 2008, when league officials decided not to extend the current agreement, and 2010, when the agreement actually expired, the NFLPA tripled its lobbying spending over the years before.
Baltimore Ravens cornerback Domonique Foxworth told Politico that players need to “level the playing field” before Congress, considering the league has had a strong lobbying presence on the Hill for years. (For more on the NFL’s lobbying history, see lobbyists.info’s free white paper “Political Activity of the National Football League.”) He argues that if there is a lockout next season, he, along with his wife and newborn child, would be left without health insurance.
Players contend that Congress can exercise its oversight authority to force the league, which has been granted an antitrust exemption, to force the league’s hand, though Congress traditionally has stayed out of labor fights. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lavar Smith (R-Tx.) says the committee does not have any hearings scheduled, and the chairman does not seem interested in the dispute.
“The NFL and NFLPA are literally and figuratively big boys. They do not need Congress’s help to referee every business dispute. That’s what courts and labor negotiation processes are for,” Smith told Politico.
Jeff Pash, the NFL’s chief negotiator, says he is frustrated with the NFLPA’s lack of effort at the negotiating table, stating that the players are spending much more time and energy in the media and on Capitol Hill than actually trying to work out a deal with owners.
Tags: House Judiciary Committee, labor dispute, Lamar Smith, NFL, NFL lobbying, NFLPA
Posted in Government Relations Alert | Comments Off on NFLPA takes fight to Congress
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
