March 8, 2006 -- The rich and powerful but not-always-united fraternity of NFL owners assembled yesterday, seeking to put aside their differences long enough to ensure their sport does not unravel amid labor strife.
Owners from the league's 32 teams met in a conference room at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport and worked long into the night, discussing and debating what the NFL Players Association calls its final proposal for a six-year extension to the collective-bargaining agreement.
Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, sensing the urgency of the moment, gave what owners described as an impassioned plea to strike a deal, and stressed the need for unity for the good of the game.
"I think he has made it very clear to me and the other owners," Giant executive VP Steven Tisch told reporters last night. "I have never heard Paul more opinionated and more animated and more committed and passionate."
The union is seeking 59.5 percent of total revenues for the players. If the proposal is not ratified, 2007 will be a season with no salary cap, and the possibility exists for a lockout in 2008.
The session began in the afternoon and was expected to wind up at 11 p.m. before talks resume today.
League spokesman Joe Browne said a decision will be announced no later than 8 p.m., which is one hour before the scheduled waiver deadline, when every team must be under the $94.5 million salary cap.
After a postponement of 72 hours, free agency was scheduled to begin tomorrow at 12:01 a.m. That deadline will be pushed back 24 hours if there is an agreement.
Approval by 24 of the 32 owners is needed to ratify the union proposal, and the battle lines are clearly drawn.
Teams generating lower revenues, such as the Bills, Colts, Bengals and Jaguars, want assurances that there will be an expanded version of revenue sharing to level the playing field. They want the high-revenue teams to contribute more into the player-salary pool because they earn more in non-football income from local radio rights, advertising and stadium naming rights.
The high-revenue teams, led by the Cowboys, Redskins, Patriots and Eagles, do not want to share so much of the ancillary money they believe they earn fair and square.
Heading into the meeting, Cowboy owner Jerry Jones offered a glimmer of optimism.
"We want to play football," Jones said to reporters. "We have an obligation to everyone, particularly our fans. My gut is, we're going to come up with something, but it's still up in the air. It's going to be long and drawn out and tough."
Tagliabue spent the first few hours of the meeting outlining the union proposal. During a break, Steeler owner Dan Rooney told the Associated Press, "We haven't punched anyone yet," and described Tagliabue's presentation as "Excellent ... super."
The two ownership groups have to solve the disparity over "cash over cap" - the difference between a team's salary-cap figure and it's actual payroll. High-revenue teams can offer much larger signing bonuses, gaining a competitive advantage.
Coming up with an updated revenue-sharing formula has held up an extension to the CBA for the past two years, and coming up with a solution during a two-day meeting figures to be a daunting task.
GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) -- Labor peace was restored to the NFL when the owners agreed to the players' union proposal Wednesday, extending the collective bargaining agreement for six years.
There were no further details on the agreement, including whether it includes expanded revenue sharing.
The vote was 30-2, with Buffalo and Cincinnati, two low-revenue teams, voting against it.
Free agency, put off twice by the protracted negotiations between the owners and players, now will start at 12:01 a.m. Friday.
"It was a good compromise," said Jim Irsay, owner of low-revenue Indianapolis. "We're happy with it -- 30-2 is a good vote."
