The parties have spent all day Thursday negotiating, with much of the talk presumably focusing on whether they’ll agree to press pause on the expiration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
It’s now after 5:00 p.m. ET, and there’s still no words as to whether any agreements have been reached.
Per multiple reports, Judge David Doty would be required to sign off on any deal to extend the current deal. And the deal wouldn’t simply be to allow negotiations to continue for a specific period of time. Other terms would need to be considered, such as whether current free agents can sign contracts or pending free agents can re-do deals with their current teams -- and whether the league policies (substance abuse, steroids, personal conduct) would continue.
The fact that the league reportedly has asked for the extension seems to bolster the notion that the league has decided while standing at the open door of the airplane and with parachute strapped to its back that jumping out of the plane may not be the best plan.
So stay tuned. We should know something soon. And that something likely we be that we’ll continue to not know anything.