Recap Of NFL Labor Negotiations

We figured a brief recap of the labor negotiations would be helpful.  The CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) has expired.  The players are not threatening to strike, the owners have threatened to lock the players out.  There is some good news:

A union source told NFL Network’s Albert Breer on Friday that “we’ve made more real activity in the last 24-48 hours than we did in two years.” A second union source acknowledged the forward motion, but emphasized that major issues remain in the negotiation.

Here is where we stand right now:

• The CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) has expired.  It was originally extended for 24 hours but today it was extended until Friday March 11, 2011.  This means that there won’t be a lockout by the owners this week.
• President Obama says that both sides should be able to work out a new deal without his intervention.
• The Players Association has voted to decertify the union as a defense against the lockout.  If that happens, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees will be the lead plaintiffs in an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL.

In case your head is still spinning, the Fox Sports legal experts make sense of the NFL Labor issues.

Still confused?  Stop by our NFL Forum, trained fans are standing by and ready to answer your questions.