Negotiations between the NFL players and owners resumed Friday morning in New York City, rounding out the second week in a row of four days of face to face meetings.
Friday follows 12 hours of meetings on Thursday which included NFLPA Executive Director Demaurice Smith, accompanied by NFLPA President Kevin Mawae, Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday, Baltimore Ravens cornerback Domonique Foxworth, Pittsburgh Steelers reserve quarterback Charlie Batch, and former special teams standout Sean Morey. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was in attendance along with several NFL owners including the New England Patriots’ Robert Kraft, the Dallas Cowboys’ Jerry Jones, the New York Giants’ John Mara and Pittsburgh Steelers President Art Rooney II. U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan was also in attendance.
One individual not directly involved in negotiations, but who was briefed on the talks, indicated that there was progress on the economic issues, but ancillary topics like free agency and drug testing still need to be resolved, the New York Times reported. A second individual briefed on the negotiations said that the two sides had “inched closer” on the revenue split.
Progress on Friday will be critical, as Judge Boylan is scheduled to start a vacation on Saturday, July 9. In spite of the planned departure of Boylan, who has been serving as a mediator, the two sides have indicated that they may continue to meet through the weekend to work towards a deal.
It is widely believed that after July 15, it might become necessary to cancel the Hall of Fame game scheduled for August 7. The next significant deadline would be a week later, after which cancellation of a full docket of preseason games might become necessary. The cancellation of preseason games is where a significant loss of revenue for the NFL could begin, potentially costing the league hundreds of millions of dollars.
