WASHINGTON (AP)-rhetoric increased, while the clock ticked down in labor negotiations of the NFL on Thursday with the league and EU trade players back and forth barbs the day before twice extended collective agreement expires.
With both sides far apart on key economic issues, nine of the 10 members of the owner of the work of the committee NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in the office of the federal mediator overseeing the negotiations, but the union complained, none of the owners met with no players on hand.
Although there was a small group discussion between union representatives and the NFL, 15 of the mediation, no one has given any indication that you are making progress. In fact the strongest words came in the evening has begun comments in the league, general counsel and lead negotiator, Jeff Pash.
"Things can come together quickly. Things can fall apart quickly," Pash said the NFL negotiating team left for the day. "I have said many times: if both sides have an equal commitment to get this deal in fact, that will take place. I do not know if both parties are committed. ... Obviously, we are committed. "
When this was conveyed to the NFL players association spokesman George Atallah, said in an e-mail to The Associated Press, said: "Jeff Pash was part of a management team that sold the ticket nets $ 4 billion in a party that knew tn 'to play. The only thing promised to a lockout. "
It is a reference to a court decision last week when a federal judge control issues faced by labor NFL players in their case, accusing the owners find it difficult to negotiate television to prepare a work stoppage.
The NFLPA's executive director DeMaurice Smith, then return to the office of the Ombudsman to respond to the statement itself is Pash.
"We have been engaged in this process. But, for all to stand and turn to the American people and say that the issues?" Said Smith. "Listen, I understand that there are probably things that Jeff Pash must say, but true: We know that from March 2009 ... National Football League began with a strategy to get $ 4000000000 Silver TV ... even if the games were not played. "
Participate, Greg Aiello, NFL spokesman Twitter: "When the Union will meet the 150 pages of provisions of the ABC project a week ago. Wait."
ABC originally scheduled to expire last week. The parties agree to push that deadline on Friday, when the agreement is not reached, could be another extension.
What is certainly sounded more likely, since the tone of Thursday was that the negotiations can be turned off for a lockout by the owners or withdrawal of certification at European level, followed by anti-trust cases players' actions that could threaten the ongoing 2011.
NFL has not lost games to stop working since 1987, when a strike shortened the season and some games are nonunion replacement players. Based on the current CBA was reached in 1993, then-commissioner Paul Tagliabue and union leader Gene Upshaw. E 'was extended to five times the annual sales rose more than 9 billion U.S. dollars, the league expanded to 32 teams and new stadiums were built.
2006 contract extension was the last important act Tagliabue, who retired, was followed by Goodell. opt-out clause on both sides are included in this agreement, and the owners used in May 2008, three months before the death of Upshaw. Smith replaced with Upshaw in March 2009.
Two months later, Smith wrote a letter to Goodell asking financial statements for each 32 teams and the league as a whole. NFL offered to translate other economic data this week, and the NFLPA has rejected this proposal, saying the investment bank advising the specified data should be "totally irrelevant" during the negotiations.
The NFL, meanwhile, said the union offered unprecedented financial data, some do not agree with the clubs in the league.
Pash said there had been no movement in the Thursday edition.
The dispute centers on money: how to split the billions of dollars in revenue, how should the owners go from top to cover certain costs, and demand of the Union for what he calls "financial transparency."
Under the old CBA, the owners have received an immediate $ 1 billion to go toward operating expenses before splitting the revenue with other players. First owners tried to add $ 1 billion for that, while it decreased the number to forward, at least up to an additional $ 800 million, Smith said it is too.
The work of committee members present on Thursday was the Jerry Richardson and the Panthers, Pat Bowlen is the Broncos, Jerry Jones, Cowboys, Giants, John Mara, Art Rooney II, Steelers, Chiefs hunting Clark, Mark Murphy, Packers , charger, and Dean Spanos and Mike Brown (notes) and the Bengals. Eagles president Joe Banner and Redskins Executive Director Bruce Allen was there.
While Mara, Hunt and Murphy occasionally participated in the negotiations, since mediation began Feb. 18, a group of this size comes from attending a previous session last week.
The only missing member of the League key group was Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who is part of a delegation to Israel with Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. Asked Thursday if he expects next season to start on time, Kraft said: "It is my belief."
There were several topics discussed during the negotiations, including pushing the owners to increase 16-game regular season to 18, a wage scale and benefits for retired players rookies.
But the gap is primarily on income.
And bitterness, temporarily dammed the federal mediator George Cohen, the requirement when it began tracking the talks on February 18 was there for all to see on Thursday night.
"We will be here tomorrow," said Smith, "because we want to follow the football."
AP Sports Writer Joseph White in Washington, AP Pro Football Writer Barry Wilner in New York and Josef Federman Associated Press in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
