New Optimism In NFL Labor Impasse

Added on Jun 15, 2011 by Jack Thurman in

NFL

There’s been some movement toward ending the 91 day old NFL lockout with representatives for players and management reportedly meeting in an “undisclosed location” in the Washington DC area (presumably the one formerly occupied by Dick Cheney during his tenure as Vice President) in what are being described as “secret talks”.

Both sides have been described as ‘guardedly optimistic’ and ‘in a deal making mode’. The hope is that significant progress can be made in the next two or three weeks. The major bone of contention this week is revenue distribution, specifically what percentage will go to the players. Players want 50 percent of all revenue but are reportedly willing to accept $141 million player costs per team, which is roughly 48.5 percent of all revenue. In a sign that things are becoming more serious, the attorneys representing both sides have attended these meetings after staying away from other recent discussions. Attorneys Jeffrey Kessler and Jim Quinn are involved for the NFLPA, while Jeff Pash and Bob Batterman are attending the talks for the NFL.

The five owners negotiating on behalf of their contemporaries are John Mara of the New York Giants, Jerry Richardson of the Carolina Panthers, Robert Kraft of the New England Patriots, Clark Hunt of the Kansas City Chiefs and Dean Spanos of the San Diego Chargers. This group was specifically requested by the NFLPA due to the progress that was made in recent meetings involving the five men.

Despite the optimism, neither side is predicting when a final resolution will come about. NFLPA spokesman George Atallah said:

“We’re focusing all our efforts on a long-term settlement, agreement and resolution. That’s what we can control.”

In a related development, the NFL has reportedly instructed team officials to plan for an extended stay in Chicago during the league meetings next week. It wasn’t immediately clear what the league’s reason for extending the meetings would be.

The NFL owners and players are hoping to work out a resolution well before a ruling about the legality of the lockout from the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The next scheduled court appearance for both sides isn’t until late August.