The chances of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement going into effect in the near future took a potentially significant step forward in the early morning hours Wednesday in Indianapolis.
George Atallah, the Assistant Executive Director of Exernal Affairs for the NFL Players Association, posted a statement on his Twitter account just after 1 a.m. local time on Wednesday. Atallah said the NFLPA’s Board of Players Representatives had voted to forward the proposed CBA proposal from the ownership to the full NFLPA membership for a vote.
Members of the NFLPA board met with representatives from ownership for four hours at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday evening. Those involved in the discussions then returned to meet with the rest of the NFLPA’s player representatives before voting to forward the proposal to a vote to approve or reject the owners’ proposal.
A majority approval from the entire player body is required for the new Collective Bargaining Agreement to be ratified and put into effect. With the proposal being forwarded to the full membership, it means at least a majority of the player representatives approved the parameters of the deal.
The owners approved the current proposal after a meeting last Thursday. The proposal includes a 17th regular season game, expanding the playoffs by two teams with one from each conference, increasing the revenue split to the players from 47 percent to 48 percent and then up to 48.5 percent when a 17th game is implemented, and would move most disciplinary reviews to a neutral arbitrator instead of Commissioner Roger Goodell, among other changes to the current structure.