Judge orders mediation for NFL lockout
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, center, speaks with reporters as negotiations between the NFL owners and players go unresolved. (March 11, 2011) Credit: AP
Federal Judge Susan Nelson Monday ordered the NFL and attorneys for players suing the league to engage in court-supervised mediation this week. Nelson also said she is still considering whether to grant the players' request for a preliminary injunction to end the lockout that began March 12.
Nelson also ordered that both sides keep the mediation confidential. She said it will start Thursday before Chief Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan at his office in a Minneapolis courthouse. He will meet with player representatives Tuesday and with NFL representatives Wednesday.
The NFL and NFL Players Association met with federal mediator George Cohen of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services for 16 days before talks broke down March 11. The NFLPA decertified later that day, and 10 players -- including quarterbacks Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees -- filed an antitrust lawsuit against the league.
The NFL wanted to continue mediation with Cohen, while the player representatives preferred to work with Nelson. She decided instead to appoint another mediator, but one associated with her court.
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