So what did today’s meeting between a handful of players and their legal representatives mean?
We’re told, by a reliable source (as opposed to our usual unreliable sources), that the lawyers are hoping to persuade the players not to roll over in talks with the owners.
“Rolling over,” of course, is in the eye of the beholder. And the beholders in this case are the lawyers, primarily Jeffrey Kessler and Jim Quinn. If they don’t like where things are headed, look for more leaks along the lines of the Osi Umenyiora affidavit that curiously emerged after Kessler and Quinn were kicked out of the negotiating room a second time.
The problem is that, by all appearances, more and more players want to get a deal done. If/when it appears that progress has stopped and the start of the regular season is in jeopardy, a revolt remains possible. In the end, a revolt may be necessary; lawyers work for their clients, and sometimes the lawyers need to be reminded of that fact, in no uncertain terms.