The NFL and Player's Union Discussion Thread

[Mike FF Today 732]

ESPN

 

The NFL and its locked-out players wrapped up their fourth day of court-ordered talks Wednesday with few signs of progress and no plans to meet again until mid-May.

 

Executive vice president Jeff Pash, the NFL's lead negotiator, said U.S. Judge Magistrate Arthur Boylan told both sides they probably won't convene again until May 16.

 

Now we wait for U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson to decide on the players' request for an injunction to immediately lift the lockout. Here's a nice piece by Andrew Brandt on where we're currently at in the process.

[jocstrap 8]

Here it is if you have time...Nothing for another month - UGH

 

MINNEAPOLIS -- Court-ordered mediation between the NFL and locked-out players lasted another five hours Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan adjourned talks until May 16.

 

The sides met for 26 total hours over four days, trying to settle the consolidated Brady et al v. National Football League et al and Eller et al v. National Football League et al antitrust cases. It was the first set of face-to-face talks between the sides in 34 days, and the next break is set to encompass another 26 days.

 

"We're going to be back here on May 16 to continue the mediation, and I think everybody thinks it was helpful," NFL Players Association outside counsel Jim Quinn said. "And that's really where we are."

 

When asked for the reason for the almost-monthlong break in talks, Quinn responded, "That's what the judge wanted, and we follow what the judge wants."

 

The next step in the process should come shortly, with Judge Susan Nelson due to rule on the players' request for an injunction to lift the NFL lockout. Also scheduled before the resumption of mediation is the May 12 hearing on the fate of the television-revenue case, over which U.S. District Judge David Doty will preside.

 

"There are a lot of uncertainties right now," NFL general counsel Jeff Pash said as the league-imposed lockout hit its 40th day. "When we're back together, we'll know more. People's legal positions will be clearer. The network case is not a major factor, has never been a major factor, as far as our thinking goes.

 

"But we'll be back here ready to make a deal, because that's the only way that we're going to solve this problem, by having a comprehensive labor agreement, by setting out all the terms, addressing all the issues and getting it wrapped up so we're not spending all our time in court."

 

Nelson emphasized April 6 that she will rule on the players' motion for an injunction to lift the NFL lockout in "due course," and that decision has loomed over these talks. She said at the time that she expected to rule in "a couple weeks." It now has been two weeks.

 

Over the four days of mediation, seven of the 10 members of the league's labor committee made appearances, with co-chairman Jerry Richardson of the Carolina Panthers and Pat Bowlen of the Denver Broncos joined by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Green Bay Packers CEO Mark Murphy the last two days. Commissioner Roger Goodell also was part of the league's contingent, as were Broncos president Joe Ellis and Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay.

 

NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith returned to the talks Wednesday after tending to a family emergency Tuesday, and current players Mike Vrabel and Ben Leber also were in attendance, as they have been throughout this mediation.

 

Goodell said all parties involved remain committed to ending the league's first work stoppage since 1987.

 

"I think fans want solution. I want solutions," he said. "I think the players want solutions, and I think the teams want solutions. That's why we have to be working at it in negotiations and figuring out how to get to that point."

 

Pash wouldn't delve into the condition of talks between the league and players.

 

"You can't measure this like a stock table, what's going up or down on any given day. But it's always a positive to be able to talk to people," Pash said. "I don't think it's ever too early to talk, I don't think it's ever too early to state positions, and sometimes you have to state them multiple times and you have to really listen to the other side multiple times.

 

"I think this was a valuable process, I don't think a single minute of it was wasted time, and I think the effort and the sincerity and the creativity that the chief magistrate judge brought to the process was exemplary and is going to be very helpful to us down the road."

 

The NFL released its 2011 regular-season schedule after Tuesday's mediation session, and Goodell has maintained an optimistic tone. He spoke to New York Giants season-ticket holders Wednesday in a conference call during a break in mediation, telling them, "We're planning to play a full season, and we're going to negotiate as hard as we can to get that done."

 

The NFL's season is scheduled to open Sept. 8, with the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers hosting the New Orleans Saints, and that's less than five months away, with free agency, trades and other roster decisions still up in the air with the lockout in place.

 

"We have to identify the solutions and get it done," Goodell said. "It is tough for me to project. We're going to continue to make the preparations for the season and work as hard as we can to solve those issues in advance so we can play every game and every down of the season."

 

Hall of Fame defensive end Carl Eller, the lead plantiff in one of the antitrust cases against the league, echoed Goodell's optimism, even with talks now shelved for nearly a month.

 

"I do feel very positive about the 2011 season, and I think everybody has come here with the idea of having a 2011 season, and it's just not been easy to get to that point," Eller said. "I think everybody is working hard to that goal, and seeing them work to that end makes me much more optimistic. I would certainly say we're going to have a 2011 season."

 

The Sports Business Journal reported Wednesday that a group of about 70 "mid-tier" players was considering hiring a law firm to get a seat at the mediation table, upset that talks broke off last month after 16 days in front of a federal mediator in Washington. However, NFL Network calls to about a dozen player agents revealed nothing to confirm the report.

 

Smith said he was unaware of the report, and Vrabel said he hadn't heard of it, either, although he did say that players "do have a seat, with Ben and me."

 

"That's why we're here," Vrabel said. "... We're players here to represent the players, and De works for us. They do (have a seat). And I think if they're unhappy with that seat, we have to vote in a new executive committee and a new board of reps."

 

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d81f5bd25/article/judge-adjourns-mediation-between-nfl-players-until-may-16?module=HP_headlines

[Gephardt69 0]

the owners are entirely at fault since theyre white and old. players are cooler. they should take ALL the money.

[kutulu 1,685]

No surprise...lockout lifted...for now...

 

 

As expected, a ruling on the players’ motion to lift the lockout came Monday.

 

As expected, the ruling favors the players.

 

Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports that Judge Nelson has issued a ruling in favor of the players. The NFL reportedly will seek an immediate stay of the implementation of the decision.

 

More to come.

~pft.com

[420allstars 13]

No surprise...lockout lifted...for now...

 

 

 

~pft.com

 

I am hearing that teams can now have contact with players but are instructed "no play books" and because there is no league rules/CBA basically nothing will change..no trades, free agents, ect

 

Were on the right path but... who knows!!

[jocstrap 8]

this is a step closer to playing in 2011! Isn't it? I think that's what I heard a radio talk show

[Mike FF Today 732]

this is a step closer to playing in 2011! Isn't it? I think that's what I heard a radio talk show

It could be, but there's so much unknown out there right now, nobody can tell. During this time (next 1-3 days) while the owners attempt to get a "stay" (put Nelson's decision on hold pending further appeals), there are no rules governing the league, which creates this chaotic environment we have now.

 

In the meantime, I see DeMaurice Smith is already hitting the campaign trail, commenting on the fact that the owners are basically not allowing workouts to place until a ruling on the stay is made... "I'm not sure it's the right way to treat our fans," ... what a joke.

[Mike FF Today 732]

Check out Andrew Brandt's latest column for a good overview of where we stand...

 

The NFL has filed its request for an immediate stay of the injunction (keeping the lockout intact) with Judge Nelson. The Players' response is due tomorrow morning. Nelson should rule by late tomorrow. If she rules for the Players, the NFL will request an immediate appeal to the Eighth Circuit to stay the injunction, which could take a couple to a few days. Either way, it is unlikely we will have NFL business during the Draft this week.

 

One possibility is that Judge Nelson allows for a temporary stay of the injunction -- a week perhaps -- to allow the NFL to get its house in order and set up rules to operate by during this temporary period of litigation.

 

Big picture

 

Again, none of this is about getting to court. We will not have the specter of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning being called to the stand and being cross-examined. This is simply about tilting the leverage in eventual negotiations for a new long-term agreement between the NFL and the Players. And the Players just got a tilt.

[Mike FF Today 732]

Judge Nelson denies NFL's request for stay during appeal.

 

The federal judge who lifted the NFL lockout dealt another blow to the league late Wednesday, denying its request to put her ruling on hold and guaranteeing more limbo for the $9 billion business. Nelson ruled that the league year must start immediately, but no team is obligated to sign free agents. The NFL will appeal to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis, but Nelson's ruling forces all 32 teams to open its doors to the players. If teams were to deny players access, they could be held in contempt of court.

 

Not surprising that she denied the stay. There are currently no rules governing the league so we will still be in limbo for the time being. We'll probably see team facilities open to players but it's doubtful we'll see player movement until the appeal is ruled on and a set of rules are in place.

[Gepetto 1,382]

Judge rejects NFL appeal to stay lockout invalidation; league still in limbo

09:50 PMPrint Share By Sean Leahy, USA TODAY

 

For the second time in three days, U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson ordered the NFL back to work.

 

Now it's up to the league to determine how quickly it will comply with her order.

 

Nelson rejected an NFL request to stay her invalidation of the league's lockout on Wednesday. It was a blow to a league that had sought to keep players shuttered while it appeals Nelson's original ruling to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

 

The NFL, Nelson said, failed both to show how ending the lockout would cause the league irreparable harm and also to prove that it has a reasonable shot of winning its appeal.

 

"Conversely," she said, "the players face the real and immediate harm of a lost season in a typically short professional career."

 

The NFL had claimed "chaos" would set upon the league if it resumed football operations and then won an appeal that allowed it to reimpose a lockout. Nelson flatly rejected that reasoning, however, and said all she mandated was merely that the league end its lockout.

 

"In fact, nothing in this court's order obligates the NFL to even enter into any contract with the players. In short, the world of 'chaos' the NFL claims it has been thrust into ... is not compelled by this court's order."

 

The ruling came less than 24 hours before the NFL is scheduled to run its annual player draft, which was guaranteed under the now-expired collective bargaining agreement. The league continued to remain in limbo even after Nelson's ruling, however.

 

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said late Wednesday they league filed a expedited request for a stay of the injunction with the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

 

"We believe there are strong legal and practical reasons that support a stay and that the Court of Appeals should have an opportunity to address the important legal issues that will be presented," Aiello said.

 

Commissioner Roger Goodell said earlier Wednesday that while the NFL would comply with the judge's order -- and had a scenario "for every contingency" -- the league wants clarity, including an chance to have an appeal heard.

 

"We want to have the opportunity to be able to understand (the order),communicate it properly," Goodell said, "and we do it in an orderly process."

 

The new appeal could lead to further stagnation -- and unhappiness from the players -- in the area of football operations. Unless the NFL reverses course, it is unlikely to open either the free agency market or the ability for teams to trade players (normal operations in a non-lockout) before the start of Thursday's draft at 8 p.m. ET.

 

Aiello said the NFL would advise clubs how to proceed on matters of football operations on Thursday morning.

 

The NFL had argued that, among the irreparable harm it would suffer by ending the lockout, resuming football operations and free agency without a CBA with the players could expose it to antitrust violations.

 

But Nelson said that nothing in her ruling compels the league to make illegal antitrust choices after the lockout ends.

 

She called the NFL's claims of irreparable harm "misplaced."

 

"Like any defendant in any lawsuit, (NFL owners) themselves must make a decision about how to proceed and accept the consequences of their decision," Nelson said.

 

That means the players and their attorneys will closely scrutinize how owners reconstruct the league after Nelson's ruling. They could potentially seek damages for antitrust violations if owners don't stay within the confines of the law.

 

James Quinn, the class counsel representing the players, spoke to NFL Network about the league potentially still holding off on football operations.

 

"They would be in violation of court order," Quinn said, "which often is followed by being held in contempt of court. Not a good thing for the league."

 

Nelson scolded the NFL for not heeding the message in her original ruling that players -- locked out of workout facilities, unable to study with and impress coaches who determine their roster spots and unable to negotiate contracts -- were suffering quantifiable harm during the lockout. She also reiterated her ruling that the players' decertification of their union was valid.

 

Not only did Nelson fail to find harm done to owners, she used the NFL's own preparation for the 2011 season -- and she cited the release of the league's schedule and Goodell's remarks to USA TODAY that he was "planning to play a full 16-game regular season and playoff" -- as reason for the lockout to end.

 

"It appears that the NFL took certain steps, prior to the lockout and the lifting of the lockout, to implement some aspects of the (work rules) system that was in place in 2010," Nelson said. On March 3, 2011, for example, the NFL clubs sent contract tenders for the 2011 season to free agent players, treating them as if the league intended to operate with the 2010 rules in place."

 

Additionally, Nelson warned the NFL that she considered an appeal ruling from Eighth Circuit "unlikely" before season starts, further emboldening her to reject a stay of the lockout invalidation.

 

source: usatoday.com

[RLLD 4,272]

Owners: "waaaaaa, we want more money...."

 

Players: "waaaaa we want more money....."

 

Fans: "Oh for christs sake, so do we, now go get to it already.....

 

[Mike FF Today 732]

Lockout is temporarily back on.

 

Earlier Friday, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis granted the NFL's request for a temporary stay of the injunction lifting the 45-day lockout. Arguments will be heard on whether that order from a federal judge in Minnesota should be overturned altogether. The appeals court is expected to rule next week on the NFL's request for a more permanent stay that would last through its appeal of the injunction. That process is expected to take 6-8 weeks. League spokesman Greg Aiello tells The Associated Press that teams "have been told that the prior lockout rules are reinstated effective immediately."

[jocstrap 8]

Lockout is temporarily back on.

 

Earlier Friday, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis granted the NFL's request for a temporary stay of the injunction lifting the 45-day lockout. Arguments will be heard on whether that order from a federal judge in Minnesota should be overturned altogether. The appeals court is expected to rule next week on the NFL's request for a more permanent stay that would last through its appeal of the injunction. That process is expected to take 6-8 weeks. League spokesman Greg Aiello tells The Associated Press that teams "have been told that the prior lockout rules are reinstated effective immediately."

 

 

Just another shot to bring us (the fans) down while we are enjoying our 3 days of happiness

[Mike FF Today 732]

Forced mediation resumes today before Judge Arthur Boylan.

 

- Court of Appeals has a hearing on 6/3 regarding U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson's ruling in late April that lifted the lockout.

 

- Temporary stay on Judge Nelson's ruling is still in place.

 

- We're awaiting a ruling from Judge Doty on the TV Revenue debate.

 

Doty is likely to rule in favor of the players in the TV case, swinging some momentum and $ in the players favor. Most believe the forced mediation that begins today isn't going to lead to any significant progress as both sides are waiting to see what happens in court. Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II, asked if he expected the sides to make progress Monday, said, "We would like to make progress, but it will be hard to do. We have to see what happens June 3."

 

In other words, "nothing to see here... please move along." Where's the dog/pony artwork when you need it?

[pimptastic69 0]

I am hearing that teams can now have contact with players but are instructed "no play books" and because there is no league rules/CBA basically nothing will change..no trades, free agents, ect

 

Were on the right path but... who knows!!

 

Instructed by whom?

 

The Bungles gave AJ Green a playbook immediately. Then he "took it upon himself" to make a copy for Dalton after the lockout was reinstated.

[Mike FF Today 732]

Temporary stay becomes permanent.

 

Not a big surprise. Any sliver of hope of free agency starting in the next couple weeks is out the window.

[jocstrap 8]

Temporary stay becomes permanent.

 

Not a big surprise. Any sliver of hope of free agency starting in the next couple weeks is out the window.

 

 

At what point are we allowed to become nervous there will be no season?

[Mike FF Today 732]

At what point are we allowed to become nervous there will be no season?

 

No season? When September 1st comes and there are no talks on the schedule. That's extremely unlikely in my opinion.

[Mike FF Today 732]

Forced mediation is over until June 7th.

 

The court-ordered mediation between the NFL and its locked-out players ended early Tuesday afternoon but the league's lead negotiator said progress is continuing to be made in mediation. The sides will resume talks June 7 just days after a June 3 hearing in a federal appeals court regarding a lower court's ruling that temporarily lifted the lockout.

 

It's nice that some progress was made, but if these two groups actually wanted to get a deal done, ya know, "for the fans" they would be back at the table tomorrow.

[420allstars 13]

Forced mediation is over until June 7th.

 

The court-ordered mediation between the NFL and its locked-out players ended early Tuesday afternoon but the league's lead negotiator said progress is continuing to be made in mediation. The sides will resume talks June 7 just days after a June 3 hearing in a federal appeals court regarding a lower court's ruling that temporarily lifted the lockout.

 

It's nice that some progress was made, but if these two groups actually wanted to get a deal done, ya know, "for the fans" they would be back at the table tomorrow.

 

agreed! this is getting just stupid.. I honestly believed this would be all over before the lockout really effected any league events/otas/ect.. now I am not so sure??

[RoadLizard 73]

At what point are we allowed to become nervous there will be no season?

 

Dont be nervous. Its not quite the end of the world. I would like a break ffrom this for a year. let them get it sorted out properly and looong term. Take a year off. There are SO many other things one can do with ones time. Unless you are a mouth-breathing gnome with no life.

[shovelheadt 71]

Forced mediation is over until June 7th.

 

The court-ordered mediation between the NFL and its locked-out players ended early Tuesday afternoon but the league's lead negotiator said progress is continuing to be made in mediation. The sides will resume talks June 7 just days after a June 3 hearing in a federal appeals court regarding a lower court's ruling that temporarily lifted the lockout.

 

It's nice that some progress was made, but if these two groups actually wanted to get a deal done, ya know, "for the fans" they would be back at the table tomorrow.

 

And yet again, a player immediately follows it up with a jab at the owners.

 

"I don't know if there's any sense of urgency on their part," Vrabel said. "I certainly understand that the closer you get to training camp, and the dates as players we're used to reporting for training camp and playing preseason games and playing regular-season games, this thing becomes a lot more real for everybody involved. The players aren't out there doing the work they'd normally be doing. They're doing it on their own and they're taking a lot of risk. I think that people appreciate the fact that guys are still preparing for a season."

[kutulu 1,685]

100 days till the season is supposed to start.

[420allstars 13]

100 days till the season is supposed to start.

 

and about another 30-40 days before they even start to talk again!!

[kutulu 1,685]

and about another 30-40 days before they even start to talk again!!

 

While it seems like a longshot from what I've read, the Eighth Circuit could end the lockout tomorrow, June 3rd, by upholding the injunction granted by U.S. District Court Judge Susan Nelson...

[420allstars 13]

While it seems like a longshot from what I've read, the Eighth Circuit could end the lockout tomorrow, June 3rd, by upholding the injunction granted by U.S. District Court Judge Susan Nelson...

 

we can hope, even if just for a few weeks and get some free agancy going!!

[kutulu 1,685]

Secret meeting in Chicago yesterday...Goodell, J. Jones, Kraft, Jerry Richardson and just heard on espn radio per Adam S. that D. Smith was also there. Hope they can find the middle ground or at least really looking...

 

 

 

Rosenthal opted not to speculate earlier tonight regarding the possible reasons for the reported Chicago-area meeting involving several owners and Commissioner Roger Goodell. But since I just sat through a three-hour, thirty-minute Team PFT baseball game that went into two extra innings (we lost 8-7 in the bottom of the ninth), I had plenty of time to try to connect the dots.

 

For starters, the various owners who reportedly attended — Pats owner Robert Kraft, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, and Panthers owner Jerry Richardson — are members of the team negotiating a new labor deal. So (and excuse us while we venture far onto a limb here) the meeting most likely was related to the ongoing labor dispute.

 

The next lockout-related development comes on Friday, when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit takes up arguments regarding whether the lockout will be lifted. But there’s nothing for the owners to do at this point; it’s a matter that’s currently in the hands of the lawyers.

 

On Monday, June 6, the NFL must formally respond to the complaint in the Tom Brady antitrust action. That’s another function for the lawyers, which will require little or no direct input from owners — and definitely not a full-blown sit-down.

 

On Tuesday, June 7, mediation is scheduled to continue in Minneapolis, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan. It could be, then, that the negotiating team got together to make specific decisions for approaching the next set of talks. If the two judges who have ruled both in favor of a temporary stay and a full stay send signals via their questions and comments making clear their willingness to allow the lockout to remain in place, the players could be softened up and ready to be receptive to a significant move by the NFL closer to its bottom-line position.

 

Given that the full ownership met last week in Indianapolis and in light of the requirement that at least 24 of them must approve any offers made to the players, it could be that the owners voted in Indy to give Goodell and the negotiating team a new ceiling of authority, and that the negotiating team met separately to come up with a plan for using it once mediation resumes in six days.

 

Whatever the specific reason for the clandestine Chicago-area meeting, it had to be something sufficiently important to justify a face-to-face session, and not a conference call.

 

~pft.com

[kutulu 1,685]

Next week's mediation session has been cancelled...

[420allstars 13]

Next week's mediation session has been cancelled...

 

 

GREAT !!!!!

[LOD01 198]

Stat ###### Manning would suck Favre's ###### if it guaranteed to get the season started. Players will cave and manning will lead the charge. He cannot afford to lost a season and pass favre.

[kutulu 1,685]

It's not time to break out the party hats just yet. Or your team underwear. Or that stinky jersey you tossed into the back of the closet out of frustration from watching rich men and even richer men fighting over billions. But maybe, just maybe, you might want to put that champagne glass, and Fantasy scouting report, within arm's reach.

 

There is a still a great deal of work to do, and any progress could unravel any day, hour or minute, but it appears NFL owners and players have made significant headway in reaching a new labor agreement, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions.

 

One high-ranking member of the former union estimated to me a new deal could be reached within two to three weeks. "This is the most optimistic I've been in many months," he said.

 

But, like many sources, he urged extreme caution, saying talks could easily break down, and weeks from now we could be back at the beginning, with the name-calling and the ticking clock.

 

"There's a great deal of animosity to work through," he said.

 

That's putting it mildly, but in recent days, as training camps approached, and both owners and players saw the frightening but realistic prospect of missed games on the horizon, negotiations have been able to cut through that distrust like a steel-hulled ship through Arctic ice.

 

In essence, what tore the two sides apart -- money -- might bring them back together. Initially, the fight was about owners and players wanting to keep more of it. Now, they've become civil over the fear of losing it.

 

These recent talks have been more productive than all the other discussions and mediations combined, the official said. This has allowed the two sides to proceed at a more urgent pace than before.

 

What could slow the progress is the ruling of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals expected sometime in early July. I'm told both sides may want to wait and see how the court rules on the lockout before finalizing any deal. Progress might also be delayed by good, old-fashioned distrust, which could raise its ugly head at any time.

 

Nevertheless, progress was definitely made. The largest sign this negotiation was radically more successful than others was the announcement by Judge Arthur Boylan, who canceled mediation set for next week, saying the owners and players were in settlement discussions. The NFL and NFLPA later released a joint statement confirming the two sides had been in talks. Owners and players issuing joint anything is akin to cats and dogs living together.

 

Based on discussions with several different sources, there are three main reasons there has been some movement. First, and most important, the key lawyers for both sides weren't present during these rounds of talks. Jeff Pash, lawyer for the owners, is particularly despised by trade association officials.

 

Second, owners with more at stake in the lockout, like New England's Robert Kraft and Jerry Jones from Dallas, have in recent weeks been able to sway some of the more hard-line small-market owners to more moderate positions.

 

Owners like Jones, who have billion-dollar stadiums, can't afford to miss games, because missed games could potentially lead to missed payments on stadium debt. Kraft and Jones in particular have been very vocal in wanting to get a deal done sooner than later.

 

Similarly, some players have spoken to NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith over the past few weeks, asking him to step up talks with the owners, and Smith did.

 

Now the question becomes: Can the owners and players keep the momentum going? Or will months and years of distrust send this dispute back to the courts, where a season would likely be lost?

 

There is a still a great distance to go, but don't cancel those Fantasy drafts just yet.

 

~By Mike Freeman

cbssports.com

[cyclone24 1,926]

I think this sucker is about over......

 

 

We started up the Fantasy emails today to get our season going today.....

[worm 36]

NFL, NFLPA in "deal-making mode" - Link

 

The lead negotiating teams for the NFL and NFL Players Association have gathered Tuesday at an undisclosed location in the Washington, D.C., area in an effort to end the 91-day lockout. It's the third consecutive week the sides have met for "secret" talks... Sources characterized the owners and players as being in a "deal-making mode" and hope to make significant progress over the next two or three days, ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen reported.

For the secret negotiating session Tuesday, the players requested the same five owners who were in New York for last week's two-day settlement session, according to a source. The five-owner roster requested by the players was John Mara of the New York Giants, Jerry Richardson of the Carolina Panthers, Robert Kraft of the New England Patriots, Clark Hunt of the Kansas City Chiefs and Dean Spanos of the San Diego Chargers, the source told Clayton. According to multiple sources, the talks went well enough last week that neither side wanted to add or subtract any participants with hopes of making progress this week.

Also Tuesday, a league source told Schefter that the NFL sent a memo to its teams on Monday night, advising officials to be prepared to stay overnight during next Tuesday's league meetings in Chicago. It was not immediately clear why the NFL might extend the length of those meetings.

[Vikings4ever 562]

How can representatives for the NFLPA be negotiating when the NFLPA was decertified?

[kutulu 1,685]

How can representatives for the NFLPA be negotiating when the NFLPA was decertified?

 

I believe now they are negotiating as a "trade association" and the NFL/owners agreed not to use this fact against the players as a basis for claiming the decertification is/was a sham (in order to hopefully agree on a new CBA).

 

There are reports that a deal could get done in 2-3 weeks...speculation that they want to get a deal done going into the July 4th weekend.

[Mike FF Today 732]

Details leaked of new proposal. From what it seems, there's at least some light at the end of the tunnel. If you look at these details, it appears some progress has been made.

[Mike FF Today 732]

Talks headed in the right direction

 

Another source said the talks on Wednesday were "very fruitful" and the expectation is that they will continue until a deal is reached.

 

"We are headed in the right direction," said the source. "There is a desire on both sides to reach an agreement sooner rather than later."

 

We've definitely got some momentum here, let's hope something doesn't derail the process before a deal is done.

[jocstrap 8]

Happy 100th day

[420allstars 13]

Happy 100th day

 

[giraldi02 476]

It appears that progress is starting to clearly show. Today marked a first in which the two sides met for over 15 hrs plus will reconvene tomorrow morning at 8am. It looks like the threat of the preseason is finally hitting both sides.

 

Common football. I don't want to have any animosity towards you. We all want you in our lives. Just get a FAIR deal DONE.