Is The $180M Tony Romo TV Contract Going to Screw Up The NFL CBA?

Of All The Issues We Thought Might Get In the Way of the NFL Players Agreeing To A New CBA, We Never Thought One Of Them Would be Tony Romo

FRISCO - Of all the issues and all the people who we envisioned possibly getting in the way of labor peace in the NFL, it never occurred to us to include Tony Romo.

But Romo's monster new deal with CBS Sports, which will pay him $17 million (and a reported $180 mil over 10 years) to watch football games, is indeed having an impact on the thinking of at least one of the players he'll be paid to watch.

"That’s why we shouldn’t sign the new CBA agreement,'' New Orleans Saints star receiver Michael Thomas tweeted in response to the Romo news. "No way the announcer should be making more than 90 percent of the players. (Vote) no.''

Players employed by the NFL vs. TV stars employed by the network are, of course, a sort of "apples-and-oranges'' argument. CBS obviously views Romo as a one-of-a-kind talent, an irreplaceable one.

And we already know that in the meat grinder that is the NFL, "90 percent'' of the players are not viewed or treated that way.

But they are still part of the same "football food chain,'' which means it's a fascinating angle with some merit, at least in the sense that even with the concessions made by the owners to the players, the money paid to those on the field doesn't represent a true partnership.

Example: The owners have offered to move from a 47-percent revenue share to the players to a 48.5-percent share while having falsely spread information that such a split is the most generous in sports. In fact, the NBA is a 50/50 split, an arrangement that allows NBA players to feel they are truly partners in the business of basketball.

The NFL and NFLPA have been discussing a new CBA, and a week ago, the owners made their proposal. The NFLPA player representatives then voted in favor of ratification of the new CBA, and now the final vote will be decided by the rank-and-file players in the NFL.

Maybe it's not fair for Thomas to specifically pinpoint Romo, and of course it's nothing personal between the Saints standout and the former Dallas Cowboys QB, who it could be argued does such a fine and attention-getting job in the booth for CBS that he's an avenue for raising league revenue for all.

But it is fair for the NFLPA and its members to ponder what a "partnership'' is supposed to look like. And as for Romo? A $180 million paycheck brings with it $180 million worth of attention - and not all of it positive.