NFL, NFLPA release statement after two hour meeting

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on February 5, 2011, 5:33 PM EST

The first serious negotiating session between the NFL and NFLPA since November is in the books.  It took two hours, and hopefully not much of that time was used to craft the following jointly released statement.

“The NFL and NFL Players Association met for two hours today in 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 CBA.”

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Saturday that at least two sessions are scheduled for next week at an undisclosed location.

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22 responses to “NFL, NFLPA release statement after two hour meeting”

  1. I think espn’s Chris Bergman made a good point when said that they will probably come to a temporary agreement (a band aid) until 2014 when the current TV contracts end, then we will really have a fight on our hands. PS if they don’t figure something out I will become a hockey fan.

    “game is too good to screw up.”

  2. “The NFL and NFL Players Association met for two hours today in a continuing effort to narrow the differences and reach a fair agreement that will benefit the players, teams and fans.
    _________________________
    So no one cares about the owners now? I thought they were the big reason for this.

  6. Let me rewrite this…

    “The NFL and NFL Players Association met for two hours today in a continuing effort to posture to our constituencies and try to screw the other side in an agreement that will benefit nobody. We plan to increase the number, length and intensity of bargaining sessions so that we can blame the other side for the collapse of negotiations before the March 4 expiration of the current CBA.”

    Hope this helps.

  7. Guessing it took two hours just to thumb wrestle over who got mentioned first on the release “NFL or NFLPA.” Looks like the NFL won this round. Yea! — Okay all sarcasm aside…hope this indicates both side realize they need to start working together.

  9. The NFL and NFL Players Association met for two hours today in a continuing effort to narrow the differences and reach a fair agreement that will benefit the players, teams and fans.
    —————————————–
    Too damn funny, as if either side really cares about the fans…..

  10. I’ve been an nfl fan for more than 50 years, I’m really lossing interest. All the unfair fines that Goodell dish out players not respecting the game nor thier coachs. I’m canceling my directv NFL the cost just keep going up, it just not enjoyable anymore.

  12. I think that in the end, the two sides will stop the insanity, come to their senses and reach an agreement.
    There’s too much at stake and both sides know it.

    But if it turns out that there is a lockout or a strike, as a fan I’ll blame both sides.

  13. I doubt the owners would go for a band-aid type solution. That is what got them in this mess to begin with. This current CBA was just that and the owners regretted it almost immediately. I believe the owners have decided that they are prepared and ready to get the CBA aligned in their favor and I believe they are going to do it now. Too much preparation already in place (much more so by the owners with Smith just recently taking the job) for the owners to just decide to let this slide until 2014. Too much uncertainty running their businesses for the next 3 years (they have already endured that for the past 2 years and plus it would allow the union to better prepare their options.

    I fully believe whether this contract gets negotiated before or after March 4, it will be a long-term deal and it will favor the owners.

    But I am encouraged that the two sides are putting out a joint press statement instead of the union with another one of their anti-owner statements that accomplishes nothing.

  14. Lol… Enjoy hockey then. Don’t ever compare a cult sport from Canada that translates like crap to TV to the top sport in America.

    College football is what I’ll be watching if there’s a work stoppage.

  17. An hour or two today, maybe a couple meetings this week filled in with more PR and posturing by both sides.
    They are in denial , if they dont get moving towards a deal with non stop negotions then its clear that a lockout will occur.

    The fans want football, the game is enjoying unprecedented success across the board. So get the deal done ,before Vince Macmahon gets ideas of bringing back the XFL!!!!!

  19. How about just cancelling the NFL permanently and see how everyone likes THAT. This whole thing is so ludicrous that it just sickens me. All this time that they’ve been posturing back and forth through the media they could have been having negotiating sessions and trying to get something done. First meeting since November????? What have they been doing all this time? This is their jobs. This is what they get paid to do. So do it!!! Get it done, for Christ sakes!

  20. This is really frustrating. How much BS do we get shoved down our throat from both sides when they aren’t meeting? But when they finally do meet, we just hear “we have met.” Tell us something real, don’t just use the “fan card” in your positioning/PR nonsense. If either side had any ounce of respect for the fans a more detailed statement would have been released.

  21. There is an ingenious way to at least delay the 18-game schedule, and at the same time do right by Los Angeles: Give L.A. an expansion team to begin play in 2012, when they would play every NFC team once each, regardless of division – the same thing was done with the original Baltimore Colts in 1950, the Cowboys in 1960, the Falcons in 1966, and the Buccaneers and Seahawks in 1976 and ’77 (the AFC teams’ schedules would be totally unaffected).

    An extra bye week for each team can be added along with it, since with an odd number of teams (33) there will have to be byes every week, so more byes would make the schedule easier to manage (and the NFL played 16 games over 18 weeks once before – in 1993).

    In the meantime, they can figure out what city gets the second expansion team that will have to be added sooner or later – whereupon they’ll have to move to 18 games in order to preserve the rotation of every team definitely playing every other team every fixed number of years (three years within the conference and four for inter-conference matchups).

    By making the transition gradually rather than all at once, it may work out better for everybody.

  22. There is an ingenious way to at least delay the 18-game schedule, and at the same time do right by Los Angeles: Give L.A. an expansion team to begin play in 2012

    _____________________________________

    Do right by Los Angeles? Los Angeles has lost five NFL franchises. No need to waste any more time on the place.

    Second, the LAST thing the league needs is another expansion team.

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