When Cardinals kicker Jay Feely joined ProFootballTalk Live a month ago, he said he worried that emotions were getting in the way of the players and the owners getting a deal done.
When Feely joined PFT Live again today -- after the owners and the players did, in fact, fail to get a deal done -- Feely said he doesn’t think emotions were the problem at the negotiating table. But he did say that he realizes fans are going to have an emotional reaction to the inability to reach an agreement.
“Emotions, obviously, have been heightened, but I think both sides at the end of the day understand that they’re making business decisions,” Feely said, adding that if those business decisions can’t get worked out, “fans are the ones who suffer.”
Feely dismissed the claim from the owners’ side that the players always wanted to go to court, rather than come to an agreement at the bargaining table.
“All emotions aside, we went to the negotiations last week -- and I was there -- with the intent of getting a deal done,” Feely said.
And Feely, who praised the federal mediator, George Cohen, said the union and the owners did, in fact, make progress during the mediation sessions.
“We made a lot of progress in mediation in the health and safety issues . . . and the offseason program,” Feely said.
Just not enough progress to prevent a lockout.
[kml_flashembed movie="http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/33399756?launch=42074738" width="420" height="245" allowFullscreen="true” /]