One of the five owners participating in the not-so-secret labor negotiations dropped a hint or two about the not-so-secret talks during an appearance on Thursday. And while Patriots owner Robert Kraft expressed optimism about the process, he offered a caveat.
“This is a very hard deal with all the different variables,” Kraft said, per Tom Curran of CSNNE.com. “Sitting down and talking about the problems is a positive thing. But there’s a lot of hard work still to be done. But the good news is, we’re talking.”
That is good news. And it’s even better that the lawyers aren’t part of the talking.
“I think we went 34 days without having communications, and the lawyers on each side were doing stuff,” Kraft added, per Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com. “That, to me, isn’t progress.”
Long a proponent of getting the principals together without the involvement of the lawyers, Kraft said in February that the deal could be done within a week, without the attorneys. His reference to “a lot of hard work” shows that it’s proven to be more complicated. Still, if the parties remain committed to getting a deal done, there’s reason for hope.
“We have the greatest game in America and a lot of people depending on this game, not just people working in this building -- service people, support people,” Kraft added. “I think on Sundays, it’s part of Americana. People plan their day and we have to be very careful that we continue to enhance it. The fact we’re continuing to talk is a very positive sign.”
Indeed it is. Let’s now hope they can keep it going.