NFL, Union Meet for Contract Talks on Eve of Super Bowl
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 2011— -- Representatives from the NFL and the players' union met for two hours today in Dallas, as both sides step up the effort to reach a new agreement and avoid a lockout next season.
In a joint statement issued today, the two sides said the meeting was a "continuing effort to narrow the differences and reach a fair agreement that will benefit the players, teams and fans."
"We plan to increase the number, length and intensity of bargaining sessions so that we can reach agreement before the March 4 expiration of the current [collective bargaining agreement]," the statement read.
The meeting, which included NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and officials from the NFL Players' Association, was the first formal negotiating session since November.
The NFL commissioner met with the head of the players union, DeMaurice Smith, in New York Monday.
On Sunday millions of people around the world will tune in to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV, but the apparent lack of progress in the talks has made many people wonder whether this be the last NFL game for some time?
The current labor contract between the league and the NFL Players Association, the players' union, expires March 4. Unless a new agreement is reached, the league could be headed for a work stoppage.
That means no spring practice, no free agency deals and, potentially, no 2011 season.
Goodell said repeatedly in Dallas Friday that the owners and league are committed to reaching an agreement before the deadline.
"I think that's only going to happen when there's intense negotiations from your union and the owners," he said. "This is the window of opportunity to get this done right."
The standoff between the league, team owners and players centers on two key issues.
First, there's revenue sharing. NFL players currently receive 60 percent of the league's $9 billion in annual revenue, but team owners say that's unsustainable, given the economic downturn. They want to reduce the players' share by 9 percent to 18 percent.
