“The league is determined to get this season and all 16 games in. Whether that can actually happen over the course of the year without outbreaks of the virus, no one can predict.” – Adam Schefter on the NFL season

“The ones that are most tied to their mechanics and have a smooth delivery are going to be the ones that jump out…and have an advantage…The pressure is on because there is not a lot of time to struggle.” – John Smoltz on pitchers in MLB’s shortened season

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 26, 2020 – Host Rich Eisen was joined on today’s episode of The Rich Eisen Show on NBCSN by:

• ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter
• Baseball Hall of Famer and MLB Network analyst John Smoltz
• Actor Rob Lowe
• Comedian George Lopez

Following are highlights from The Rich Eisen Show on NBCSN:

Adam Schefter on talks surrounding the upcoming NFL season: “When I speak to people on teams, they are nervous, uneasy and anxious. They’re concerned. When I speak to other people who are near the top of the NFL food chain, they are convinced there’s going to be football…This tells me that the league is determined to get this season and all 16 games in. Whether that can actually happen over the course of the year without outbreaks of the virus, no one can predict.”

Schefter on Jets safety Jamal Adams’ trade request: “It’s been a one-way street…Just because he wants to be traded doesn’t mean that the Jets are going to oblige him…The system is weighted in the favor of the team. The player has a lot to overcome…The Jets are not just going to go peacefully.”

Schefter on Dak Prescott’s contract extension negotiations with the Cowboys: “The situation, to me, is complicated and it is complex. Dak Prescott, if he’s willing to bet on himself, and so far he has been, can play this out and see it through to where he puts himself in position to get an incredible contract…You can just imagine what would be at stake if Dak Prescott can get himself into the (free agency) market.”

John Smoltz on the negotiations that occurred between MLB and the MLBPA: “I thought the whole time that something would be worked out. I remained optimistic, having been through it, knowing it’s not always depicted the right way. It’s always a tenuous situation when you’re trying to negotiate something under normal circumstances. I can’t even imagine what it’s like to throw in a million other possibilities to try and figure it out…The good news is…that baseball will be played, and it will be one of the most intriguing and exciting seasons we’ve ever seen.”

Smoltz on the biggest challenges for players resuming play: “The biggest challenge is the mental change every player is going to have to have…Players are going to have to be creative in their thinking of how they’re going to maintain focus without the extra adrenaline of fans and the extra narrative they are normally used to.”

Smoltz on pitchers at the start of the season: “The pitchers with the least awkward mechanics, in other words, the ones that are most tied to their mechanics and have a smooth delivery, are going to be the ones that jump out…and have an advantage. The high-working, high-velocity, much-needed to get in tune with their mechanics (pitchers) may struggle early on. Let’s face it, the pressure is on because there is not a lot of time to struggle, in theory, because (the season) is only 60 games.”

Smoltz on games taking place without fans: “The creative teams will get out in front, both philosophically and maybe having fun in the dugout with banter and chatter…That part is going to be intriguing…The teams that are cohesive and that get out in front and collectively work a plan out, are going to be the teams that will have the most success.”

Rob Lowe on his experience traveling with the Los Angeles Lakers: “(Pat) Riley banished me from traveling with the team…Riley didn’t want any distractions…Magic (Johnson) told me they wouldn’t even let the married players’ wives come to the hotel.”

George Lopez, an avid Raiders fan, on the team leaving Oakland for Las Vegas: “It’s a little disheartening to know that a city like Oakland — that has been a city of the Black Panthers, of culture, of historical situations that have happened in such a great city — that they would be left with a reminder of the team and their fans that would die for that team.”

–NBC SPORTS–

“The realities around this virus, economy, and culture will guide us in the decision-making process. I view this as a bit of a marathon where I don’t know exactly where the finish line has been placed, but I have to go mile-by-mile” – Greg Sankey on the possibility of a college football season

“It’s good news for America and a remarkable moment to feel good about something, even if it’s just for a minute.” – Roger Bennett on Christian Pulisic’s goal-scoring return yesterday for Chelsea

“If the league tries to get money back from the players and the players dig in and say no, that could create an impasse. I don’t think it’s going to get to that point though.” – Mike Florio on salary cap discussions between the NFL and NFLPA

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 22, 2020 – Host Rich Eisen was joined on today’s episode of The Rich Eisen Show on NBCSN by:

• • SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey
  • Men in Blazers’ Roger Bennett
  • Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio

Following are highlights from The Rich Eisen Show on NBCSN:

Greg Sankey on the 2020 SEC Football season: “I’m focused on the preparation because the realities around this virus, economy, and culture will guide us in the decision-making process. I view this as a bit of a marathon where I don’t know exactly where the finish line has been placed, but I have to go mile-by-mile…We now have reports last week of quarantines and positive tests as soon as young people came back from the three-plus months away. We’ve had plans established on how we handle those realities. We want to treat people well and find them the right kind of health care.”

Sankey on financial implications of the college football season: “My focus has been communicated on playing football as scheduled, but the real answer to that question is the circumstances around the virus are going to guide us. The background of the observations made is the financial issues…We stopped our Spring which has an economic reality, but we made the decision around the health of the participants. We are going to have to learn how to live with COVID, if you will. That doesn’t mean we are going to make rash or inappropriate decisions…The reality, and we’re seeing it in our economy every day, is that when you disrupt the activity on which an enterprise is based, that has implications, and all of us have a responsibility to think through those hypotheticals. But at the end of the day, we want to play football. I believe our participants want to play football.”

Sankey on the timeline of mandatory football training for the SEC: “I think that’s probably a late-July time period. My thinking has shifted a bit…We’ll have three-to-four weeks on the 14^th of July when a little bit of practice can begin and (we) deserve to see how that progresses. Before we get into full-blown practice, you are going to be in that decision-making process on how it relates to Labor Day weekend and the schedule for the start of the season.”

Sankey on the difficulties of interconference play: “That’s one of the complexities ahead for college football that’s different than the professional conversation. The best example I can give is to go back at March where we made independent decisions to stop our basketball tournaments, but came to the same conclusions. The results of what’s happened among the autonomy of the conferences is those of us in the Power Five…we talk every day and have medical committees that talk every week, which will be a big part in guiding us forward.”

Sankey on minimizing recruiting during the Summer: “All of us (Power Five Commissioners) came to the conclusion pretty quickly that the less recruiting during this summer time period, the better. The idea that the coaches are traveling around and we’re flying people into campuses right now, (it’s) not exactly the right approach. We may be able to do it now, but let’s slow it down to keep people healthy.”

Roger Bennett on the Premier League resuming without any fans in the stadium: “Every single commissioner of every sports league in America is watching to see if it would be enough with this new fan-less reality. It was different to watch the players trot around an empty stadium. It was definitely, from an American perspective, less theatrics certainly with no crowds to play for.”

Bennett, an Everton fan, on the Liverpool-Everton rivalry: “Everton is a bit like Auburn to Liverpool’s Alabama. Liverpool is a mighty team that, when I grew up, would win titles by right. My whole childhood would be watching (Liverpool) bring trophy after trophy back to the city. Everton has had their moments, but not so much. What’s remarkable is that Liverpool hasn’t won a title in 30 years.”

Bennett on Christian Pulisic return from injury and scoring Chelsea’s first goal in their win against Aston Villa: “He’s been injured and hasn’t played since January 1. What’s remarkable is he didn’t start and (he) came into the game when his team was one  down…in the 55^th minute. Within four minutes, he made a run to the far post, jabbed the ball home — his seventh (goal) of the season. From an American football perspective, he’s our lord and savior. From a world football perspective, he’s just another good player fighting for minutes.”

Bennett on Pulisic’s return: “It’s good news for America and a remarkable moment to feel good about something, even if it’s just for a minute. Christian Pulisic, a 21-year-old from Hershey, Pa. who moved to Chelsea Football Club…He started poorly, struggled, and then out of nowhere started scoring.”

Bennett on Christian Pulisic’s playing style: “When you watch him play, he plays a little bit like a point guard in the NBA. Just finding slivers of space, changing pace, incredible bursts of speed, and really hurt opponents.”

Mike Florio on reports of Cowboys QB Dak Prescott planning to sign his franchise tag today: “It’s kind of a surprise because he was so dug in and the impression we got is that he wants his long-term contract by July 15 and if they don’t give it to him, he’s potentially going to stay away from training camp and preseason. Bottom line is the quarterback has to be ready to go. In his mind, this is a contract year just like last year was. Last year was a contract for $2 million, this year is a contract for $31.4 million, but it’s still a contract year. He needs to have a good year. He has a new coach, a new approach and new everything.”

Florio on salary cap discussions between the NFL and the NFLPA potentially impacting the 2020 season: “If the league tries to get money back from the players and the players dig in and say no, that could create an impasse. I don’t think it’s going to get to that point though. At the end of the day, they will work out the money…Next year is where the conversation gets interesting as to what the salary cap will be in light of what the impact on the cap is as a result to this year’s reduced revenue.”

Florio on NFL training camp reporting dates and participation: “I think we will know shortly after the Fourth of July. It’s time for some agreements to be reached by the league and the union. I have heard talk about the possibility of letting players opt out if they are just not comfortable for whatever reason. If they are not comfortable being in that environment and don’t want to potentially affect family members, or they have prior health conditions like Patrick Peterson with diabetes or James Conner, who fought cancer. I think there’s going to be an allowance for those people that aren’t comfortable going forward in this climate.”

Florio on extension talks between the Texans and quarterback Deshaun Watson: “After July 15, the next guy to watch is Deshaun Watson. I’m told that he wants a two-year extension on the two years he has left with the Texans, and that he is likely to get it. Usually teams don’t do extensions that short.”

Florio on extensions for NFL quarterbacks: “I think the dominoes will go (Dak) Prescott, then (Deshaun) Watson, and then (Patrick) Mahomes. Even if Prescott doesn’t do a deal, Watson wants to see what Prescott does because I think he’s going to take Prescott’s deal and say, ‘Give me that plus X on top of it.’ Then Mahomes will be the one that just blows everyone out of the water, and I think that’s coming before the season starts.”

–NBC SPORTS–

“There has to be a season at this point because the alternative of no season is so catastrophic to the future of the sport.” – Jeff Passan on MLB

“It was phenomenal to see live golf on television again…I thought the players handled it beautifully.” – Justin Leonard on golf’s return at the Charles Schwab Challenge

“What will be remembered of baseball will be the Astros scandal and how the owners tried to take financial advantage of a pandemic.” – Keith Olbermann on how it will be remembered if there is no MLB season

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 16, 2020 – Host Rich Eisen was joined on today’s episode of The Rich Eisen Show on NBCSN by:

• • ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan
  • GOLF Channel analyst & 12-time PGA TOUR winner Justin Leonard
  • ESPN senior studio host Keith Olbermann
  • Actor/comedian Bill Burr

Following are highlights from The Rich Eisen Show on NBCSN:

Jeff Passan on if there will be baseball this season: “From everything I hear, from everything I see, from everything I think from the perspective of just pure, straight-up logic — it has to happen. There has to be a season at this point because the alternative of no season is so catastrophic to the future of the sport.”

Passan on Rob Manfred and his work on behalf of the MLB owners: “I think (MLB Commissioner) Rob Manfred has, for 25 years now, actually been extremely good at his job for the purposes of what Major League Baseball owners want, and they wanted to take back power after the Major League Baseball Players Association held it for…nearly 30 years. I think he has done a good job of that, but there comes a point at which the pendulum just swings too far in the opposite direction and I think that is what has happened here.”

Passan on the MLBPA being prepared to a file a grievance: “If it was a short season, the MLBPA was prepared to file a grievance that the league did not uphold its duty to play the fullest season possible. If you look at that grievance, it would probably be in the neighborhood of $1 billion. If you look at it from baseball’s perspective, even if the union only has a 25% chance of winning that grievance, you still have to value that grievance at $250 million.”

Passan on the financial differences in negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA: “MLB’s last offer maxed out at about $1.5 billion in cash to players. If you take that over a prorated basis, that is about 60 full games. The MLBPA’s last offer was for 89 full games at pro rata, which is about $2.25 billion. So, we are talking a $750 million gap.”

Passan on the timeline of negotiations: “Where they are now is where they should have been two months ago. We should have baseball literally right now, we should have baseball. That is not a hot take, that is a stone-cold fact that they screwed up badly.”

Justin Leonard on what he thought of golf’s return at the Charles Schwab Challenge: “I thought it was phenomenal to see live golf on television again, just a little sense of normalcy…We had a lot of drama even without the fans, which was a little strange. You see a guy make a big putt and there is almost no reaction…I thought the players handled it beautifully.”

Leonard on the PGA TOUR’s return to play procedures: “I have a lot of trust in the PGA TOUR in what they are doing. All the work that went into making last week and the return to golf successful…They created this bubble, this envelope, over the players, caddies, TV crews, and volunteers, and now they have to basically move that bubble to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. For the guys that didn’t play last week, they have some extra steps as far as their testing protocols that they need to do in order to gain entry into the tournament.”

Leonard on the pressure of playing in a Ryder Cup: “If a player misses a putt on any given week outside of a Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup, there are only a handful of people who are disappointed…Then you get into a situation of a Ryder Cup where you are playing for your peers, guys who you are trying to beat every week, and you are playing for a captain who you probably admired most, all, or some part of your career. Then you are either playing for the United States or a region in Europe and the amount of pressure, that is why you see the reactions that you do.”

Keith Olbermann on the state of baseball: “I really think it is worse than we have been talking about because there is a chance, an excellent chance — a probability — that the whole ruination of their business, the soiling of their own bed led by Rob Manfred, will be for no reason.”

Olbermann on the implications of having no MLB season: “What will be remembered of baseball will be the Astros scandal and how the owners tried to take financial advantage of a pandemic.”

Olbermann on the mindset of MLB and the owners: “There is a disconnect between humanity and baseball owners that exceeds anything else that I have encountered…They are convinced, and they have always been convinced, that these players will buckle, and the fans will forgive and forget.”

Bill Burr, an avid Patriots fan, on Tom Brady signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers: “So many times he deferred money down the road so that (the Patriots) could have a better team and win championships. He deserves to get paid, he deserves to play in a state with no state tax. Good for him.”

Burr on seeing pictures of Brady in a Buccaneers uniform: “As an older guy myself, they could have done him a little on some of the lighting on those…He put (the Patriots) on the map. He won six (championships). If he had won one, we would have named a street after him.”

–NBC SPORTS–

“It’s very impressive that the players have really found a collective, strong voice on this issue…It’s about cutting your salary across the board, right? So that’s galvanized them.” – Tom Verducci on the negotiating stance of the MLBPA

“It’s just the next step of what seems to be inevitable, but I’m not convinced is inevitable…I’m not confident that the NCAA really means this, that they really want to do it.” – Jay Bilas on the NCAA after Florida passed a law allowing student-athletes to benefit from their name, image and likeness

 “The financial ramifications are the major factor in why most players want to go over there and play…This season will be restarted. It will resume in Orlando.” – Chris Haynes on NBA players’ feelings towards resuming the season

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 15, 2020 – Host Rich Eisen was joined on today’s episode of The Rich Eisen Show on NBCSN by:

• • Sports Illustrated writer & FOX Sports and MLB Network analyst Tom Verducci
  • ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas
  • Yahoo! NBA insider Chris Haynes
  • Actor Hank Azaria

Following are highlights from The Rich Eisen Show on NBCSN:

Tom Verducci on the MLBPA’s negotiating stance: “In some ways, it’s very impressive that the players have really found a collective, strong voice on this issue. It’s not about pension or an economic system or free agent compensation. It’s very understandable. It’s about cutting your salary across the board, right? So that’s galvanized them. They’ve held to their position firmly that they will not take, what they call, a second pay cut.”

Verducci on financial implications if Commissioner Rob Manfred implements a shortened season: “(The players) say they don’t want a second pay cut, but by allowing the Commissioner to install a 48-game season, they’re taking a 20% virtual pay cut. Now, it’s not that simple…It is more complicated than that, but I’m using that as an example of how galvanized the players have been about not taking a second pay cut because they literally are turning away $300 million to stick to their principle.”

Verducci on if players will play if the 48-game season is implemented: “The majority of players want to play…They might not like how they got to a 48-game season, but they want to play baseball, and there’s so much…clubhouse influence that your buds are there playing ball and training for a season and you don’t want to come back because you think the season’s not worth it because you think the season’s not long enough. That’s a tough position to defend to your teammates.”

Verducci on Commissioner Manfred: “I think it will be apparent that he’s dealing with a union that historically has been much stronger than the unions we see in other sports The other thing we’re starting to see is this play out so much more publicly in baseball than the other sports…Every commissioner is going through this. The baseball Commissioner is the one who, unfortunately for baseball, is going through this in a very public way.”

Jay Bilas on Ohio State asking student-athletes to sign a coronavirus risk waiver: “You’re going to see a lot of this. It doesn’t sound like a waiver, it is one. It’s a liability waiver…I think the NCAA and the member institutions are looking at the optics of, ‘How can you ask an amateur player to assume the risk of playing in a multibillion-dollar business?’…There’s an odd feel to it, to me. First of all, calling it a ‘pledge’ can be seen as a bit misleading, and then the fact that they have to sign it in order to play.”

Bilas on if student-athletes feel as if they have to play if there’s a season: “If (the NCAA) says we’re starting up again, I’d feel obligated as an athlete to go because you have a lot riding on it. Not just your scholarship and the like, but I think you’d feel like your career in some ways could be riding on it.”

Bilas on Florida passing a bill to allow student-athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness: “It’s just the next step of what seems to be inevitable, but I’m not convinced is inevitable. It’s sort of the NCAA allowing athletes economic rights, and in this, the limited economic right of their name, image and likeness…The NCAA comes out and says, ‘We want to allow name, image and likeness rights as long as it fits within the collegiate model.’…I’m not confident that the NCAA really means this, that they really want to do it. I don’t believe they do, and I think they’re asking Congress for an anti-trust exemption…It’s bizarre in how grandiose that view is.”

Bilas on next steps the NCAA may take: “I think what’ll happen is if the NCAA is unable to get traction in Congress for some sort of legislation before Florida’s law goes into effect, I think you’ll see the NCAA sue the state of Florida and the state of California under some theory that they violated the United States Constitution…It’ll certainly delay things, and the more the NCAA delays, the more they get the status quo and the more they pocket the billions of dollars that they’re making.”

Chris Haynes on the origins of the Kyrie Irving-led phone call among NBA players this weekend: “It was a call with about 80 players…and it was players from all ranges, it wasn’t just stars…Basically (Kyrie Irving) wanted to give everybody who felt like they didn’t have a voice in this process, he wanted to give them a platform to air their grievances, air their concerns. It was a platform where a lot of young guys got to talk.”

Haynes on what was discussed on the call: “There were about five or six guys that let it be known that they weren’t interested in playing. They felt like this was a time to make change in what’s going on with our society right now, and the other people were just trying to explain to them the ramifications of not playing. So, there wasn’t enough opposition to say this thing is headed to a place where there’s not going to be a season. That’s not the case at all. It was just Kyrie Irving giving people a platform to feel like they’re in this process because a lot of young players, that was their criticism that they didn’t have a vote in the say that the season is going to restart or not…At the end of the day, it was a good phone call to get everybody on the same page…and, if anything, just to allow people to have a voice who normally wouldn’t.”

Haynes on players’ desire to resume the season: “Most players want to go over there and play and largely, largely, because of financial ramifications. The players feel like if they didn’t play, owners would rip that CBA up — which would most likely happen — and that 50-50 BRI (Basketball Related Income) split that they have now, it wouldn’t be anywhere close to that. So, the financial ramifications are the major factor in why most players want to go over there and play…This season will be restarted. It will resume in Orlando.”

Hank Azaria on his favorite baseball movie: “‘The Natural’…I love that movie. That’s one of those movies, not only is it my favorite baseball movie, but it’s one of those movies that goes in my pantheon that if it’s on, I will watch it until the end.”

–NBC SPORTS–