NFL Employees to be Repaid Lost Lockout Wages

The National Football League will repay its employees all wages and bonuses lost during the lockout, sale according to Bloomberg News.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in the letter that salaries will be restored to previous levels, allergy withheld bonuses will be paid and employees will get a full payment to cover income lost during league cutbacks.

The repayment will take effect as soon as the NFL’s next pay period.

The New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills previously announced that they will reimburse employees for team cutbacks and furloughs instituted during the lockout.

Goodell, who received about US$9.8 million in salary and bonuses in 2009, and Jeff Pash, the league’s chief negotiator in the labour talks, each had his annual pay reduced to US$1 during the work stoppage, whilst all other league employees had their salaries cut by 12 percent.

The cutbacks — for employees at the NFL’s New York headquarters, NFL Network, NFL Films and NFL.com — would have increased to 25 percent if the lockout continued into August. The shutdown ended two days ago when NFL Players Association leadership voted to accept a new labour contract that previously was approved by owners.