Wednesday, March 02, 2011

Coming Down to the Wire

Green Bay Packers’ president and CEO Mark Murphy (smiling, above) leaves the owners’ meeting on Wednesday.

“NFL owners ended a three-hour special labor meeting at a suburban Washington D.C. hotel on Wednesday without taking a vote whether to lock out players when the collective bargaining agreement expires the next night. Most of the owners departed from the Chantilly, Va., hotel after the meeting, canceling another session scheduled for Thursday. The meeting was intended to provide updates to the full ownership group and determine next steps in the negotiating process.

“The NFL's executive committee is comprised of owners Jerry Richardson of the Carolina Panthers, Pat Bowlen of the Denver Broncos, Art Rooney II of the Pittsburgh Steelers, John Mara of the New York Giants, Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys, Clark Hunt of the Kansas City Chiefs, Robert Kraft of the New England Patriots, Dean Spanos of the San Diego Chargers and Mike Brown of the Cincinnati Bengals, as well as Green Bay Packers CEO Mark Murphy.

“The CBA runs out at midnight as Thursday becomes Friday on the East Coast, and the owners could lock out the players afterward. The union also could decertify — essentially, declare itself out of the business of representing players — and let the players take their chances in court.”

Source: NFL