Union rejects NFL finance info offer

WASHINGTON -- Tick . . . tick . . . tick.

As collective bargaining talks moved into a 14th day before federal mediator George Cohen, the NFL's request that the players exclude millions of dollars from the revenue-sharing pie continued to threaten to derail the negotiations.

Not only that, but the head of the NFL Players Association said an expanded 18-game regular season is off the table. With tomorrow's 5 p.m. deadline approaching, NFL chief negotiator Jeff Pash admitted there may not be enough time to get a deal done.

"I don't know, but we're going to work at it," Pash said. "If there is a deal to be done, then we're here to make that deal."

The NFL has threatened a lockout if there is no new deal by 5 p.m. Friday.

A person familiar with the inner workings of the negotiations, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the talks, said Wednesday night the union's intransigence might be a sign it's ready to decertify and go through the courts to force a better deal.

Union executive director DeMaurice Smith said the NFL had reduced its demand to shave $200 million off the original request of taking an additional $1 billion off the league's $9 billion annual revenues. The league already has a $1 billion exemption from its revenues, but wanted to double that figure to spur investment, mostly through stadium construction.

But Smith said the league still hasn't provided sufficient financial data to convince the union of the need for such steep givebacks. The league offered to show the union its profitability margins over the last five years, but the NFLPA rejected it.

"The information that was offered wasn't what we asked for," Smith said, "and, according to our investment bankers and advisers, they told us that information would be meaningless in determining whether to write an $800 million check to the National Football League" in each year of a new CBA.

Smith also said Wednesday night at the union's offices that the players won't expand the regular season from 16 games.

"First, the league has never presented a formal proposal for 18 games," Smith told SI.com. "But more importantly, it's something that our players don't want. Eighteen games is not in the best interest of our players' safety, so we're not doing it."