League Notes

The NFL yesterday at the league's fall owners meeting “postponed a possible vote on a proposal to change the sport’s anti-tampering rules.” The owners tabled the vote until at least next spring, “meaning that no new rules will be in effect for the next round of free agency.” The proposal would allow for a “two-day window before the opening of the free agent market each year in which players eligible for free agency could negotiate with all teams” (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 10/14).

THROWING THE RED FLAG: In St. Paul, Brian Murphy reports the NFL yesterday "asked the full panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a lower court's ruling" regarding Vikings DTs Kevin and Pat Williams. The NFL, "one month after losing its initial appeal," argued that the decision allowing the Williamses to avoid league suspension "conflicts with the collective bargaining agreement and U.S. labor laws." A hearing on the matter is scheduled later this month (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 10/15).

TIME TO TUNE IN: IRL driver Dario Franchitti said of the biggest issue facing the IndyCar series as it begins its offseason is the carriage dispute between DirecTV and Versus. Franchitti: "They have to sort that out. Versus did a great job and they have to sort out the DirecTV thing. They need to get their heads together and figures this out or they need to do something else because we need to get the ability to get back to a lot of households" (SI.com, 10/14).