The NFL’s owners meeting on July 21 concluded with 31 teams agreeing to a deal that would end the lockout. In the owner’s deal, the collective bargaining agreement would last for 10 years, players would receive 48 percent of revenue, there would be lower rookie salaries and cap spending for rookies, veterans would earn free agency after four years, and there would be no more full contact or two-a-day practices.
However, the lockout will not officially end until DeMaurice Smith and the NFL Players Association sign off on the proposed deal.Smith and the NFLPA are taking their time to sign the deal because they are at odds with several key changes. Some of the players have voiced their disapproval of the 10-year deal and would like to implement an opt-out clause after seven years. Their are also a few players against the owner’s request to rectify as a union before the lockout ends.
It is expected that the players will try to negotiate those key points this weekend. But now that the owners have made the first significant move, it’s up to the Smith and the NFLPA to give their fans a football season in 2011. –amir shaw
