Abbott said the players union has been “mis-characterizing the scope, extent and seriousness of the proposals the league has made.”
“We can’t compel (the players union) to accept those proposals, we can’t compel them to appreciate those proposals but I can tell you that they are significant,” Abbott continued.
He said claims by players the league isn’t negotiating in good faith “is a complete mis-characterization of what has happened over the past few weeks, or months for that matter.”
Abbott, who stated MLS has agreed to increase spending on players by over $60 million, said “the country is going through some tough economic times, and our teams continue to have a lot of financial challenges and our owners continue to lose significant amounts of money, and we are still able to put a very, very significant economic proposal on the table.”
“We’ve made a proposal to guarantee a significant number of (player) contracts. We’ve made a proposal to limit the number of options, unilateral options, the league has in player contracts.”
But Abbott says one issue will not be discussed — free agency — stating it “is not something we think is good for the league.”
The current collective bargaining agreement both sides have worked under for five years expired February 12, but talks were extended through this February 25, due to the cancellation of a meeting in Washington, DC caused by a blizzard which severely affected the Northeast.
