NFLPA Assistant Executive Director of External Affairs, George Atallah, had himself quite a laugh when he saw a report suggesting the NFL could one day feature a 17-game season.
ESPN first reported Green Bay Packers President Mark Murphy as saying a 17-game season could potentially facilitate a scenario in which each NFL team would play an international game every year.
“As you look ahead, if we’re going to have more and more international games, something’s got to give at some point,” Murphy said, via ESPN. “One thought that’s been discussed is to go to 17 [regular-season games] and three [preseason] and then everybody would have an international game. So nobody would have to give up a home game then.”
Pro Football Talk shared the report, and as you can clearly see, Atallah thinks this scenario is downright laughable.
HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA 😂😂😂😂😂 https://t.co/cbkZYQOeyR
— George Atallah (@GeorgeAtallah) June 29, 2016
Woooo. I needed a good laugh.
— George Atallah (@GeorgeAtallah) June 29, 2016
This scenario wouldn’t be possible until the NFL and NFLPA negotiates a new CBA in five years, so it’s completely theoretical at this point.
But the players’s union has been staunchly against any ideas that include lengthening the season. Needless to say, that opinion is still strongly held, based on Atallah’s response to the idea.
Still, if the NFL and NFLPA can negotiate more money going into the pockets of the players in exchange for that extra game and the travel associated with a trip overseas, it’s not something we should dismiss out of hand.