N.F.L. Deal Is Said to Be Weeks Away
By JUDY BATTISTA
Published: June 30, 2011
...
The N.F.L. had hoped to have at least an agreement in principle in place around the Fourth of July, but three people who have been briefed on the negotiations said that although a resolution remained possible within the next 10 days, it was more likely that negotiations would drag on past that time, with a better chance for a settlement coming the week of July 10.
One person said that little progress on the critical issues that divide the sides had been made earlier this week, when lawyers and staff members negotiated without owners and players in attendance, and another said he still believed it was possible that games would be missed and that it would require a breakthrough for a deal to be completed in the next couple of weeks.
...
Recent joint appearances by Commissioner Roger Goodell and the chief of the decertified players union, DeMaurice Smith — including one Wednesday in which both men spoke to rookie players in Florida — fueled speculation that a deal was imminent. Despite the apparent thaw in the personal relationship between the two men, the sides continue to spar over such fundamental issues as the formation of a rookie wage system and how to divide revenue.
One person who has been briefed on the status of talks said that the sides were close enough to complete a deal within 72 hours with intense effort. But dynamics among the parties, the person said, could stall a deal. The league is concerned that some lawyers and agents on the players’ side will prefer to wait, perhaps for a court decision that could sway negotiating leverage, before reaching an agreement.
And players are concerned that owners want to change the terms on issues that they believed had already been agreed upon, including the revenue split that had appeared to be nearly settled last week, with players receiving slightly less than 50 percent.
A long delay in completing a deal could affect the start of the preseason. The N.F.L. had hoped to conduct a condensed free-agency period — perhaps one starting in mid-July — before teams began reporting to training camps at the end of the month. Preseason games begin Aug. 7 with the Hall of Fame Game, and the N.F.L. estimates that $200 million in revenue would be lost for each week of the preseason that would be missed.
...
Free agency and training camps would not begin until a deal was completed, which would almost certainly include the resolution of the players’ antitrust lawsuit and probably the reconstitution of the players union. That process could take at least a week after an agreement in principle is reached, giving the two sides no more than another two or three weeks to complete a deal before training camps could be disrupted.
Hanging over the negotiations is the possibility of a ruling by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals on the league’s request to have the injunction that would end the lockout overturned. That decision could come at any time, although it is likely the three-judge panel will wait to see if a settlement can be reached. The sides have not grappled with benefits for retired players.
...
Remarks by the judges after oral arguments on June 3, which suggested that neither side would be entirely pleased with the outcome of the league’s appeal, have spurred this round of negotiations, which began in the days before the June 3 court appearance.