NFL owners OK deal, but players don't vote

ATLANTA -- NFL owners voted overwhelmingly Thursday to conditionally approve a new 10-year labor agreement with the players. They expressed hope that the players would approve the deal and end a lockout that has dragged on for more than four months.

Yet player representatives not only didn't vote on the deal Thursday night, but they also said the league agreed improperly on a new revenue-sharing plan among owners, thereby violating collective bargaining rules.

Sorry, folks. It's not over.

"The clubs approved an agreement that was negotiated with the players this afternoon," commissioner Roger Goodell said at a news conference late Thursday afternoon. "In addition to approving that agreement, we also approved a supplemental revenue-sharing system for the next 10 years. With this ratification and with the ratification of the NFLPA board, we will be prepared to open the training facilities beginning on Saturday."

But the owners' vote couldn't save the Aug. 7 Hall of Fame game, the first game lost to a work stoppage since the 1987 players' strike. Now it remains to be seen if others are canceled, and whether players will show up when the league opens its doors Saturday. Disagreement among the players arose almost immediately after Goodell's announcement.

In an email to player representatives for all 32 teams, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith said the owners' agreement on supplemental revenue sharing was not valid.

"As you know, the owners have ratified their proposal to settle our differences," the email said. "As you may have heard, they apparently approved a supplemental revenue-sharing proposal. Obviously, we have not been a part of those discussions . . . Issues that need to be collectively bargained remain open. Others, such as workers compensation, economic issues and end-of-deal terms, remain unresolved. There is no agreement between the NFL and the players at this time."

An email from NFLPA attorney Richard Berthelsen suggests that the NFL may be violating labor law by trying to force the players to recertify as a union.

According to the owners' agreement, the NFLPA's executive committee would have to recommend approval of the deal by tomorrow, and that players would have to agree to recertify as a union by Wednesday, when the league year would begin. It is highly uncertain whether the NFLPA's executive committee will approve the measure according to the owners' timeline.

Asked if the owners had a contingency plan if the players did not approve the deal, NFL lead negotiator Jeffrey Pash said: "We believe and expect we will have a fully approved and ratified agreement on a timely basis. If something else happens, we'll have to adjust our thinking."

Goodell was not available for comment about Smith's email or about players' remarks decrying what they saw as a power play to force an agreement on them. Although it appeared the sides had agreed on most economic issues for a new collective bargaining agreement, the players still believe there are enough significant issues unresolved to require more bargaining.

"Please don't get excited about that press conference," Redskins defensive end Vonnie Holliday tweeted. "The owners have agreed on a deal we the players have not seen! It's sad that the owners played this card! We want to get back to work & have been trying to do so!"

Goodell and Smith spoke for more than an hour shortly before the owners voted. Thirty-one teams approved the agreement; the Raiders abstained.

Asked about his message to fans frustrated by the lockout, Goodell said, "I understand their frustration. I hope they understand we're working hard to get that agreement that is going to secure the game for the future. So I guess I'd say to them, we're getting close to getting football back, and that's what we want.''

Thursday's's events may have been a false start, however.

Giants president and co-owner John Mara, a key member of the league's negotiating team, had expressed optimism about the future of the NFL shortly after the owners approved the agreement. As part of the deal, they voted in favor not only of a new CBA, but of the elimination of all pending legal action by each side against the other.

"This was a long, tough, tough negotiation going back over about three years now," Mara said.

"I can't say we got everything we wanted to get out of this deal and I'm sure they would probably say the same thing. Usually when that happens, it means it's a fair deal, and I firmly believe that this is a fair deal. I think the best thing about it is our fans aren't going to have to hear about labor-management relations for another 10 years."

Unfortunately for Mara, that respite lasted barely 10 minutes.