NFL appears headed for lockout

CHANTILLY, Va. - Barring an unexpected breakthrough, at midnight Thursday the NFL will experience its first work stoppage in more than 23 years.

Negotiators representing owners and the NFL Players Association met again Wednesday for the ninth day before a federal mediator. They appeared no closer to agreeing upon a new collective bargaining agreement, so the NFL could have its first interruption since players went on strike after Week 2 in 1987.

The 10-member Management Council Executive Committee entered the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services building in Washington shortly before 10 a.m. They met with the NFLPA negotiating committee that included executive director DeMaurice Smith, lead attorney Jeffrey Kessler, Saints quarterback Drew Brees and former Jets and Titans center Kevin Mawae. The sides met for four hours before the executive committee left to brief the entire ownership at a hotel about 45 minutes from Washington.

There were few indications that the sides are close on the major issues, such as how to split $9 billion in revenue, expanding the regular season from 16 to 18 games, and implementation of a rookie wage scale.

Mediator George Cohen asked the sides to reconvene Thursday morning, but executive committee members Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft are not expected to attend. Giants co-owner John Mara said he will be available.

But all signs point to an inability to find enough common ground to strike a deal - or even to agree to stop the clock and continue negotiations. If no breakthrough is achieved, the union is expected to initiate decertification, which would temporarily disband it and allow players to seek an injunction to block a lockout.

The NFL would fight any such injunction and declare a lockout at midnight, setting up months of legal activity.

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During the afternoon owners meetings, no lockout authorization vote was taken, Colts owner Jim Irsay said. The executive council is empowered to declare a lockout.

Irsay declined to rule out the possibility of a breakthrough. "It's a chessboard that moves around and things change," he said. "Things happen at unusual hours. I don't want to put any certainty on what the evening will bring and tomorrow."

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, league attorneys Jeff Pash and Bob Batterman and Mara returned to Washington Wednesday night to resume talks with the mediator.

Asked about the NFL's message for fans, league spokesman Greg Aiello said, "We'll get through this. Our commitment is to get a fair agreement that's good for both sides as soon as possible without any disruption to the season.

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"We understand they don't want to hear a lot of details and don't enjoy seeing this kind of process, but we need to get through it so we can get the focus back on football where it belongs."