Jackson Free Press

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees gained leverage in his contract battle with the team by way of today's ruling by arbitrator Stephen Burbank. The ruling clarified vague language of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) on the franchise tag. At the heart of the matter is the wording:

Article 10, Section 2(b) — “Any Club that designates a player as a Franchise Player for the third time”

The NFL Players Association and Brees argued that the wording means a player can't be franchised three times in his career regardless of team. The NFL argued that the franchise tag was club related and the same team could franchise a player three times in his career.

Brees was franchised by the San Diego Chargers in 2005 counts as the first time he was franchised. This means the Saints franchising Brees this year counts as the second time and if the two sides don't reach a deal, next year would be the third time Brees was franchised in his career.

This gives leverage to Brees for salary cap reasons because his salary would would be 144 percent of this year’s number. That number would put the Saints over the cap next season causing the team to have to cut salary just to keep Brees.

By no means am I a salary cap expert but there are ways for the Saints to pay Brees and make the cap hit lower. I have heard on ESPN and NFL Network people more familiar (without going into great details) say the lower cap hit is possible (it's not great TV to bore the audience with accounting).

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, wrote a detailed article on the franchise argument that might be more helpful than my limited understanding of the CBA and salary cap issues. Jason Cole of Yahoo Sports also writes a detailed article on the subject as well.

Still, a potential mess can be avoided if the Saints and Brees can come up with a long term deal before July 16.

The Summer Olympics are over for the next four years. In two years, the Winter Olympics will take place in Sochi, Russia. We won’t see the summer games against until 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.

Every nation will have to wait four more years to catch up to the United States in total medals. After all the medals where given out Sunday, the U.S. stood alone atop the medal standing as the only nation to break triple digits in medals.

The U.S. finished with 104 overall medals outpacing second place China, which finished with 87 total medals, by 17 more medals and third place Russia, who finished with 82 total medals by 22 medals.

No one finished with more gold medals than the USA either. The U.S. finished with 46 gold medals with China at 38 gold medals in second and Great Britain, who finished fourth in total medals with 64 total medals, who had 29 gold medals.

Overall the U.S. finished with 36 gold medals, 29 silver medals, and 29 bronze medals. In the final medal count, 25 nations finished in double digits in total medals.

Bahrain, Botswana, Cyprus, Gabon, Grenada (won gold), Guatemala, and Montenegro all won their first ever Olympic medal. There were 204 countries competing and 85 of those countries received at least one medal.

Rounding out the top ten in total medals were Germany (44 total medals) in fifth, Japan (38 total medals) in sixth, Australia (35 total medals) in seventh, France (34 total medals) in eighth, South Korea and Italy (28 total medals each) tied for ninth to round out the top ten.

London was a successful Olympic games for the United States. Since 2000 games in Sydney, the U.S., China and Russia have finished in the top three spots.

Since 1992 games in Barcelona, China has finished in one of the top four spots as the Chinese have become a world power in the Olympic games after not even being in the top ten in the 1988 games in Seoul, South Korea.

The United States leads the way to Rio in total and gold medals but Brazil, China, and Russia will be hot on the U.S. heels in four years.

Gov. Phil Bryant has accepted the resignation of Malcolm McMillin as chairman of the State Parole Board and named current parole board member Doug Davis as McMillin's replacement. Davis' replacement will be former U.S. Marshal Nehemiah Flowers, according to a news release from Bryant's office.

“I appreciate Malcolm’s service to the people of Mississippi. His dedication to public safety and law enforcement are deeply respected,” Bryant said. “I wish him and Delores the very best.”

Before joining the parole board, McMillin was sheriff of Hinds County and served as Jackson Police chief. Davis's chairmanship becomes effective August 1. Of Davis, a statement from Bryant's office states:

"Davis recently served as assistant vice president of First Security Bank, and he represented District 1 for two terms in the Mississippi Senate. While serving in the Legislature, Davis chaired both the Appropriations Committee and the Universities and Colleges Committee. He was recognized as Legislator of the Year by the Mississippi Troopers Association and the Mississippi Police Chief’s Association. Davis also serves on the boards of directors for the DeSoto County Economic Council and the Palmer Home for Children. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Mississippi College and is a member of Longview Point Baptist Church."

Of Davis' replacement, Flowers, Bryant said: “Nehemiah brings a vast amount of experience to the state parole board with more than 40 years of public service under his belt. His understanding of the criminal justice system makes him well-qualified to serve in this position.”

Bryant's statement also states: "Flowers served as the United States Marshal for the Southern District of Mississippi 2002-08. In 1973, he joined the staff of then U.S. Rep. Thad Cochran and later joined Cochran’s U.S. Senate staff. He is a graduate of Belhaven University with a degree in Business Administration. While serving as United States Marshal for the Southern District, Flowers formed the first ever Criminal Task Force, dedicated to pursuing criminals in and across state lines. He was named as 2008 Federal Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, retired Brigade Command Sergeant Major for the U.S. Army Reserve and is currently a board member for Mississippi Blood Services."

Flowers’ appointment must be confirmed in the Mississippi Senate.

Jackson developer David Watkins is apparently not satisfied with losing control over the Farish Street renovation project, and is asking the Jackson Redevelopment Authority Board to reconsider their decision of two weeks ago to cut ties with the Farish Street Group, of which Watkins is the chief investor and developer.

You can read Watkins' letter to JRA Chairman Ronnie Crudup here.

This is the press release we just received from Watkins Development LLC:

---------------------Begin Press Release---------------------

The developer of the Farish Street entertainment district, Watkins Development LLC, has requested that the Jackson Redevelopment Authority (J.R.A.) reconsider their recent decision to cancel the leases and parcels in that area, where Watkins has spent millions of dollars on the historic urban renewal project. In a 10 page letter to the J.R.A., copied to the bulk of City government, Watkins legal counsel, Lance Stevens of Jackson, presents a lengthy historical account of the company’s accomplishments and unforeseen obstacles on the project, as well as the financial fallout which would accompany the developer’s ouster.

That letter is attached.

“We are encouraged by the new vision that Mayor Lumumba has brought to Jackson and feel certain that he will demand reconsideration of J.R.A.’s acts when our company is finally allowed to make a public or private presentation,” says David Watkins, the managing partner of Watkins Development.

The letter to J.R.A. references the fact that the leases were cancelled without consultation with Watkins’ group and without any presence at the meeting.

“The J.R.A. appears to be putting our fine city at risk–risk of destroying Farish Street’s hopes and risk of massive legal exposure–with their uninformed decision-making. They must be receiving no credible legal advice whatsoever,” says Watkins’ legal counsel, Lance Stevens. The letter to J.R.A. documents the $4.7 million that Watkins himself has invested in the property, while noting that the City and J.R.A., in particular, have not invested any money, despite scuttlebutt that City funds have been squandered.

“J.R.A. committed over $10 million in financing to the project and has utterly failed to contribute a nickel,” says Stevens. “The good news, however, is that with a timely reversal of their decision, the $5 million in tax credits can be salvaged, a protracted legal battle can be avoided and Farish Street can become our center for entertainment and local entrepreneurship."

The letter to J.R.A. documents that over $5 million in tax credits would be lost if Watkins Development is removed altogether from the project (as well as another $4 million in tax rebates), “dooming” the project, according to their counsel.

The response to the question that will be posed to the Jackson City Council next Tuesday (Oct. 22) is something many people are asking: Is the Jackson Redevelopment Authority still worth having?

Ward 3 Councilwoman LaRita Cooper-Stokes has put forward item No. 34, an order by the city council unauthorizing the JRA.

Technically, the word should be de-authorizing, but you get the message. This conversation should be interesting in light of recent developments with the Farish Street saga and the unanswered questions surrounding the non-existent convention center hotel.

For a quick history lesson, JRA was created during the 1970 legislative session. It’s a seven-member board that has power, under the Mississippi Code of 1972, to establish and construct municipal parking facilities for motor vehicles belonging to members of the general public, and to rent, lease, purchase, or acquire land and property for public purposes (the historic Farish Street district or the land on which the Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau now sits, for example).

This may get a bit technical, but it also has the power and authority to rent, sell, convey, transfer, let or lease such facility and related structures or any portion thereof, or any space therein, and to authorize commercial enterprise activities other than the parking of motor vehicles on leased property comprising any part of such parking facilities and related structures, which is what it is doing with the Farish Street Entertainment District and the land on which the new Iron Horse Grill will sit.

Because the JRA board was set up by Mississippi law, it is unclear whether or not the city council even has the authority to do eliminate the quasi-governmental body.

We reached out to all the city council members this morning and, so far, Ward 6 Councilman Tony Yarber is the only one to comment. He said he is not likely to support the motion.

“What I am in support of is a proposal I’m going to bring forward,” Yarber said, “a motion that will require JRA to involve the (city) council in future, and way earlier on in the process.”

Yarber said he could bring his motion as early as next week.

Stay tuned.

UPDATE: Ward 4 Councilman De'Keither Stamps responded with a "no comment."

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