NFL and NFLPA officials this week both said that a “concerted attempt is underway to reach a compromise in coming weeks that would ensure an uninterrupted training camp, preseason and regular season,” according to Mark Maske of the WASHINGTON POST. Both sides said that the “tone of the negotiations is greatly improved,” and that while the talks “still could break down, there is guarded optimism that a deal can be reached in late June or early July.” Negotiators for the two sides “met this week in New York after several days of talks last week in Chicago.” One person who “did not participate in the talks but has knowledge of them” said that the “willingness to complete a deal has increased and, because of that, the negotiating differences between the two sides can be overcome.” Others said that the “timing is right and the proper people now are involved in the discussions.” But football officials said that both sides mainly are "realizing that time is running short, with many players unsigned for the upcoming season and the normal opening of training camps less than two months away.” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell last night participated in a conference call with Buccaneers season-ticket holders, and an NFL spokesperson said that Goodell “repeated that the league intends to play a full 2011 season.” Goodell: “I believe both sides want to find solutions. I’m hopeful we’re going to be successful” (WASHINGTON POST, 6/9). In N.Y., Gary Myers notes the NFL season is “less than 100 days away, the lockout will soon be approaching 100 days, and a sense of urgency has finally arrived in the labor negotiations.” The talks in New York are “expected to continue with numerous sessions in the immediate future.” A source said, “It is serious that they are talking and both sides are working hard.” The source added that there is “a lot of work to do but they are ‘trying to build a process’ and establish momentum” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/9).
TALKS DEEMED AS SERIOUS: NFL Network’s Albert Breer reported it was a "very serious set of talks that just wrapped up on Long Island," and that future meetings "will continue very soon." Both sides "see this as about a 30-day window of opportunity to save the preseason" (“NFL Total Access,” NFL Network, 6/9). ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted there “does seem to be an increasing sense of optimism in league circles that eventually, sometime in July, the two sides can hopefully get a deal done.” However, talks are "perilous and they could fall apart at any point in time.” ESPN’s Tedy Bruschi said, “I don’t think you should get your hopes up." Bruschi: "It’s way too early. I don’t think any of the players will feel any pressure until late July, and that’s when the owners want the pressure to be on the players. Until that time comes, I don’t think there’s going to be any type of announcement of any progress” (“NFL Live,” ESPN, 6/8).
REASONS FOR PROGRESS: SPORTS ILLUSTRATED’s Peter King cites a source as saying that both parties were “supremely motivated to do a deal before” the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals' three-judge panel “issues its ruling clarifying the NFL’s ability to lock out players.” The source said that the “leverage that would come from the court ruling” could allow the winner to “put a foot on the throat of the other side and try to extract onerous concessions.” A players’ victory “would likely force the season to be played but still leave the two sides without” a new CBA, while an owners’ victory “would not only continue the lockout but also surely embolden some owners to resist improving on their last offer.” Meanwhile, several NFL officials said that Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones’ inclusion in the talks is “important on two levels.” Jones is not only a “dealmaker,” but also a “hardliner determined to make some financial corrections to the 2006 labor deal.” For Jones to “be a part of settlement discussions might seem counterproductive." But an NFL official said, “Roger knows he has to have Jerry on his side” (SI, 6/13 issue).
PLAYERS' CONCERNS GROWING: In Detroit, Bob Wojnowski notes NFL teams are “still six or seven weeks from scheduled training camps, so serious damage hasn’t been done.” However, “realities were dawning” on Lions players yesterday. Lions DE and player rep Kyle Vanden Bosch said, “I’m worried about it right now -- I think the game is being hurt. It’ll be hard when we do get back to football; there probably will be more injuries early. The face-to-face meetings show something productive is happening. But this is past where I hoped it might go. We knew this was a possible scenario, and it’s possible it might go a lot longer.” Lions C Dominic Raiola: “It’s kind of sad that it’s come to this. I think Ray Lewis said it best a few weeks ago -- take the lawyers out of it and go to the table and do something. It’s just frustrating” (DETROIT NEWS, 6/9).
SEMINAR MOVED: The NFLPA has moved its "two-day educational program for rookies” from DC to Bradenton, Fla. “The Business of Football, Rookie Edition” seminar will take place June 28-29 at the IMG Academies. All 254 drafted rookies are invited (AP, 6/8).
