No Plans For NFL And Players To Meet Again Until Mid-May
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The NFL and it's players finished their fourth day of court-ordered mediation with what appears to be very little progress being made. And what might be more disheartening is that there are no plans to 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.
U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson is expected to decide well before then on the players' request for an injunction to immediately lift the lockout, now in its 40th day. Her decision will almost certainly be appealed, but it will give the winning side some leverage in any further talks - even as the clock ticks on the 2011 season.
"That is the judge's decision," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "She will make that ruling when she is prepared to do it, and at that point in time we all will respect the ruling and we will get back to the point where we are negotiating."
Goodell said the league is planning to start the season on time.
"We're planning to play a full season and we're going to negotiate as hard as we can to get that done," Goodell told Giants season-ticket holders in a conference call during a break in mediation session at the federal courthouse in Minneapolis.
Goodell, Packers CEO Mark Murphy, Falcons President Rich McKay and owners Pat Bowlen of Denver, Jerry Jones from Dallas and Jerry Richardson from Carolina attended Wednesday's session. Players Ben Leber and Mike Vrabel were joined by Hall of Famer Carl Eller and attorneys for the talks with Boylan. All declined comment.
The two sides have spent four days with Boylan, following 16 days of failed talks in front of a federal mediator in Washington. Goodell said all parties involved remain committed to ending the NFL'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."
Players including MVP quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning filed the injunction request along with a class-action antitrust lawsuit against the NFL. The lawsuit has been combined with two other similar claims from retirees, former players and rookies-to-be, with Eller the lead plaintiff in that group.
The league and players disagree sharply on how to divide more than $9 billion in annual revenue.
The owners initially wanted to double the money they get off the top for expenses from about $1 billion to about $2 billion, but that number dropped during the first round of mediation. The players have insisted on full financial disclosure from all 32 teams, and so far the league has not opened the books to their liking.
Other major issues include benefits for retired players and the NFL's desire to stretch the regular season from 16 to 18 games. The NFL also wants to cut almost 60 percent of guaranteed pay for first-round draft picks, lock them in for five years and divert the savings to veterans' salaries and benefits.
More than $525 million went to first-rounders in guaranteed payments in 2010. The league wants to decrease that figure by $300 million, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.
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 the talks broke off last month.
DeMaurice Smith, the head of the players' trade association, said he was unaware of the report. Vrabel said he had not heard of the report, either, but "they do have a seat, with Ben and me."
The NFL released its regular season schedule Tuesday night, announcing that the season will open on Thursday, Sept. 8, with the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers hosting the New Orleans Saints.
That's less than five months away, with free agency, trades and other roster decisions still up in the air while the lockout is in place.
The announcement of the schedule came with a big if, of course. The longer the labor strife drags through the court system, the more danger is posed to actual games being canceled.
"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."
--
AP Sports Writer Tom Canavan contributed to this report.
Copyright 2010 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. STATS LLC and The Associated Press contributed to this article. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
