Re-establishing the union and figuring out exactly what it will take to for nine NFL players including Tom Brady to settle their antitrust suit against the league are among key issues blocking a deal to end the lockout, people familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Even after owners and players made significant progress this week, potential sticking points remain, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks are supposed to remain confidential.
The unresolved matters also include how the TV networks case, in which the players accused the owners of setting up "lockout insurance," will be settled.
Among the parts mostly squared away:
— how the more than $9 billion in annual league revenues will be divided;
— a rookie salary system;
— free agency rules.
The NFL's first work stoppage since 1987 began in March, when owners locked out players after negotiations broke down and the old collective bargaining agreement expired. The NFL Players Association announced it was dissolving itself and would no longer be a union that could bargain for all players under labor law, instead saying it was now a trade association. That allowed players to take their chances against the NFL in federal court under antitrust law, and star quarterbacks Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees were among those who did.
There is a possibility that the sides will be able to put together a tentative agreement in principle in time to keep the preseason completely intact. The exhibition opener is scheduled to be the Hall of Fame game between the St. Louis Rams and Chicago Bears on Aug. 7, and as of Saturday, no preseason games had been canceled.
The league's owners have a special meeting set for Thursday in Atlanta, where they potentially could ratify a new deal — if one is reached by then. Any agreement also must be voted on by groups of players, including the plaintiffs in the antitrust suit and the NFLPA's 32 team representatives.
Members of the legal and financial teams for the two groups met in New York on Saturday, while NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith spoke with each other.