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Leagues and Governing Bodies

NFL Lockout Watch, Day 110: Goodell At NFLPA Symposium Is Cause For Optimism

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA Exec Dir DeMaurice Smith addressed about 150 rookie players for about 45 minutes today and told the media later they are working hard towards getting a deal done. Smith, standing with Goodell after addressing the rookies, told the media, "Obviously, what we are doing on the business of football on a macro scale is about getting a fair deal done and back to the game and business of football as quickly as possible." Goodell, who came to the NFLPA event at Smith's invitation, said, "It was a great opportunity for us to sit with the rookies. They obviously have lots of questions to be answered. We answered their questions as best we could, but you all know we are under certain restrictions. We are taking a break (from settlement talks) because we felt it was important to be with the players. We both have great respect, obviously, for the players and this is an important few days and we are going back to work." The NFL holds a Rookie Symposium annually, but cancelled it due to the lockout. The NFLPA for the first time hosted an alternate event, "The Business of Football: Rookie Edition," at IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla. and the Ritz Carlton in nearby Sarasota. The two men are expected to fly back to Minnesota today to continue settlement talks aimed at ending the NFL lockout (Liz Mullen, SportsBusiness Journal).

A POSITIVE STEP: SI.com's Peter King, who first reported Goodell was going to address the rookies, called the commissioner's appearance at the event a "pretty significant step" in the labor talks. It is “significant” because it “represents a continuing thaw in the relationship between Smith and Goodell.” The two “had some contentious moments over the previous year … each having trust issues with the other.” But with Goodell now “one of the event’s keynote speakers, it’s a sign the two sides are building a bridge toward” a new CBA. King: “There’s very little chance Smith would have asked Goodell to attend an NFLPA-run event if the two sides weren’t making significant progress toward a new labor deal. None of this should mask the fact that the two sides still have significant progress to make after multiple meetings in different parts of the country. ... But the signs continue to be good with meaningful dialogue and concessions from both sides apparently happening” (SI.com, 6/28).

MAN-TO-MAN COVERAGE: In N.Y., Bart Hubbuch notes the NFL's "labor showdown entered crunch time yesterday with the first of four consecutive days of settlement talks." No owners or players were "present in the clandestine talks," as just Goodell, Smith and "assorted attorneys are sitting down instead." The "shift in setup added to the optimism that has been rising in recent weeks about an imminent settlement that would end the nearly four-month lockout and save the 2011 season." Goodell and Smith meeting face-to-face is "considered a positive because it's keeping such hard-line owners as the Cowboys' Jerry Jones and Jerry Richardson of the Panthers out of the room, lowering the rhetoric considerably in the process." But Hubbuch notes making notable progress this week "will be crucial because the first training camps open in under a month, and a deal likely would need to be struck by mid-July so that a free-agency period could be conducted" (N.Y. POST, 6/29). A source said that it is "possible that owners and players who have participated in the previous four sessions" under Boylan's supervision "could return later in the week." Sources added that player reps "planned a conference call Tuesday to discuss the negotiations" (ESPN.com, 6/28). ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported the "players are a little bit different, not the same guys who have been in the room the past four weeks. That's because you’re getting down to the point where you’ve really got into the nitty-gritty details of this deal." He said, "At the end of this week we’ll have a little bit better idea on the tone on whether this can actually get wrapped up or whether it’s going to fall apart” (“NFL Live,” ESPN, 6/28). NFL.com's Albert Breer noted the "four-day, face-to-face session will be the longest yet." The "changing time frame surrounding this set of talks and the shifting cast of characters ... are seen as part of the process of negotiating a new agreement to end a lockout that's in its fourth month" (NFL.com, 6/28).

TWO-WEEK WARNING: In DC, Mark Maske cites sources as saying that a labor deal "could be struck this week, but that is considered unlikely." The sources added that the "more realistic hope is that an agreement can be completed next week ... to ensure enough time for a free agent signing period before training camps open and the preseason begins." It "probably would take at least two weeks for lawyers to turn a handshake deal into a formal written agreement, and the sport's leaders apparently do not intend to allow free agency to begin without" a signed CBA (WASHINGTON POST, 6/29). YAHOO SPORTS' Doug Farrar cited sources as saying that the drop-dead date to "come to an agreement and start a new league year in time for the preseason to go off without a hitch would be July 15, though that may be stretching it." Farrar: "Logistics seem to dictate that the first week of July would be about the reasonable limit" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 6/28).

POTENTIAL HURDLE: Attorney Michael Hausfeld, who is "representing Carl Eller and a cluster of other players who have sued to gain control of health, disability and retirement benefits," said that his group "will not sign off" on a settlement of the Brady v. NFL case in the form of a new CBA "until its demands are satisfied." Hausfeld said that a settlement "could be reached over objections by his clients," but he added that U.S. District Judge Susan Nelson "would not allow that given that she joined the Brady and Eller cases." YAHOO SPORTS' Jason Cole wrote it is "troubling" that Hausfeld "said his side has not been involved in the mediation of the lawsuit" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 6/28).

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