There is "quiet optimism" that a new NFL CBA can be negotiated before the current deal expires after the '20 season, and there are some high-ranking sources who "wouldn't be shocked if a deal was in place" by the May '20 owners meeting, according to sources cited by Jason La Canfora of CBSSPORTS.com. While things have been preliminary, there is a "sense from both union and management sources that the sides understand how much money is out there to be harvested through the influx of gambling money and new broadcast and streaming deals, and they want to have secured labor peace well ahead of those negotiations." The NFL is "very prepared to listen to alternatives to the current marijuana policy and is going to be flexible on issues like the commissioner's powers to handle off-field violations of the personal conduct policy." One ownership source said, "There is a deal to be done here. There has been a lot of momentum building behind the scenes. If you are hearing there are positive vibes to that end, you would not be wrong." However, La Canfora noted both sides have to "manage the expectations of their rank and file, and the NFLPA needs to continue to prepare for the worst-case scenario" (CBSSPORTS.com, 3/27).
ONGOING TROUBLES: USA TODAY's Brent Schrotenboer writes the owners' meeting this week in Phoenix has felt like a "bit of an awkward moment" with the cloud of Patriots Owner Robert Kraft's ongoing legal issues hanging over them. NFL owners since '13 have been "busted for sexual harassment, driving while intoxicated, civil fraud and a tax avoidance scheme." Browns co-Owner Jimmy Haslam "didn't face charges," but serves as CEO of Pilot Flying J, which "ripped off customers in a massive fraud case." NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the owners who employ him in recent years have "careened from one public relations crisis to the next." Fortunately for them, they have a "product that Americans can't seem to get enough of." NFL owners have "acquired an almost royal image in American sports, largely because of their wealth and power." This brand is "carefully polished until it cracks under the weight of legal trouble" (USA TODAY, 3/28).
ALWAYS ON THE DEFENSE: NFL owners on Tuesday voted to approved a rule change to allow coaches to challenge pass interference penalties and non-calls, and THE ATHLETIC's Ross Tucker wrote like a "lot of things the NFL does, this still feels like a half-measure to me that didn't go far enough and will ultimately have to be rectified yet again." Everyone is "happy because a rule was created that fixed the most recent horrendous mistake which cut to the core of the integrity of the game." But "why do we have to wait until another high-profile faux pas before we take any further action?" Tucker: "Why can't the NFL ever be proactive rather than reactive?" (THEATHLETIC.com, 3/27).
