WASHINGTON — The NFL’s labor negotiations resumed Monday with the league and the players’ union close to $800 million apart on the central economic issue of how to divide the sport’s annual revenue, according to The Washington Post.
The two sides met for a little more than four hours, and talks are set to resume today.
If there is to be a settlement this week, it probably would have to involve a trade-off between the two sides on the revenue split under a salary cap system and another key issue: whether U.S. District Judge David Doty would continue to oversee the sport’s labor deal, the newspaper reported.
Doty has overseen the labor deal since 1993. Last week, the federal court judge in Minneapolis ruled the structure of the league’s television contracts violated the settlement agreement and wrote he would hold a hearing to determine damages and remedies, including an injunction. That could jeopardize the owners’ ability to receive their approximately $4 billion in TV rights fees from the networks next season if there is a lockout.
The owners are unlikely to agree to any settlement that includes his continued oversight of the collective bargaining agreement, The Post reported.
A settlement also would be likely to include an 18-game regular season that would be accompanied by reductions in offseason workouts.
Footnotes.
NFL Films president Steve Sabol is in a Kansas City, Mo., hospital recovering from a seizure he had Saturday night.
• The Raiders promoted assistant Chuck Bresnahan to defensive coordinator.
• Former Steelers safety Carnell Lake was named Pittsburgh’s defensive backs coach.
Denver Post wire services
