LIVE from NFL meetings: Arthur Blank expects deal today
Here's Falcons owner Arthur Blank doing a mass interview in the hotel lobby before veering off for a private audience with the AJC. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
(UPDATED: 10:15 p.m.)
Welcome to the double-secret location (Airport Gateway Marriott, 2020 Convention Center Concourse, Atlanta, Ga., 30337, where the codeword “media” gets you free wifi) for these high-level NFL meetings.
I’m hunkered down in the work room, where there is coffee and muffins. If you stop by and say hello, I’ll try to sneak you one.
Here’s the important update: Darryl Ledbetter and I just spoke with Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who said he expects these months of absurdity to end today — my words, not his — and a deal to get finalized.
When I asked Blank, just before he walked into the 10 a.m. owners meeting, if he expected a deal for a CBA to be completed, he said, “Yes, I think so. I’d be disappointed, like 330 million people in America, if we didn’t get it done today. There’s been wonderful communication between the labor committee, eight owners, the commissioner, the league staff, counsel and everybody in that room, so there won’t be any surprises from a league perspective. And hopefully the players have gotten through their issues last night and we’ll be in position to do their ratification this morning or today. I don’t know what the timing of that is. I do know the same things you all have read, and that’s what our general counsel has said: The owners can ratify the deal first if necessary and have the players approve it. It’s not what we expected, but if that’s the process, that’s the process.”
This is just another one of those NFL meetings that I can't get into.
Free at last, from this silliness. Almost.
Here’s a link to D-Led’s blog.
For the past couple of weeks, there has been an expectation that the league’s owners and players finally would figure out how to divide $9.3 billion, a problem we certainly can all relate to, at this Atlanta meeting.
This probably should’ve happened months ago, before the NFL damaged the draft, postponed free agency and threatened the season. But then, that just wouldn’t be good business.
I’ll make this as brief as possible, at this risk of you X’ing out the page. The players passed on anticipated vote on a new CBA in Washington on Wednesday. But the two sides were expected to work through the evening in hopes of being able to ratify a 10-year deal today.
Here’s what I expect: Even if every bullet point isn’t finalized today, a deal will be reached in principle, allowing teams to prepare for roster moves and free agency. Then we can put these several months of absurdity behind us.
The owners are in their meeting now and it figures to go until at least early afternoon. D-Led and I will have more updates later.
By Jeff Schultz
♦
Follow me on Twitter @JeffSchultzAJC; friend me at Facebook.com/JeffSchultzAJC
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
71 comments Add your comment
shouldbeworking
July 21st, 2011
12:20 pm
Jeff – based on what I am reading, the players are starting to look a little sloppy with delays for recertification, plantiffs in the Brady trial holding out for “sweet” deals, etc. The owners appear ready and prepared to handle their business. I fear the players holding this up. The issue of recertification of the union taking a few weeks never came up when they wanted an immediate stop to the lockout over the past few months… seems like a delay or negotiation tactic.
drmaryb (*_-)
July 21st, 2011
12:32 pm
SHAME on those boys for taking so long on this!! TSK! TSK! TSK!
TIM
July 21st, 2011
12:48 pm
Are the NFL thugs gonna get bailed out of jail so they can attend camp?
Joe Tess Fish House
July 21st, 2011
1:05 pm
Hey Shultzie. I thougt U were Ledbeters secratary witch is why I asked U.
Ted Striker
July 21st, 2011
1:09 pm
Forget sneaking me a muffin. You know what to send to my room.
A Conservative Voice
July 21st, 2011
1:09 pm
@Jeff – A conservative voice — You have the correct screen name, given your anti-labor comment.
Sooooooooooo, Jeff, if you were an owner, you’d just open your books and let ‘em look, eh. I don’t think you would……you must be a union member trying to keep in good standing.
reckingball
July 21st, 2011
1:30 pm
some people are idiots
woeismesince66
July 21st, 2011
1:37 pm
If they don’t get this thing settled, I believe it will deliver a blow to the future of NFL football.
I dropped out on baseball when they pulled the same thing. Not a fan anymore.
ToccoaBird
July 21st, 2011
1:40 pm
If the players keep holding it up the owners should just cancel the whole year. Maybe then the players will have a different attitude after a year without pay. enough is enough.
JHPadgham
July 21st, 2011
2:30 pm
Why don’t they just use the same revenue sharing deal they have in place at Auburn?
SuperMama Lee
July 21st, 2011
3:11 pm
Has anyone (either side) Consider their FANS and what the deal will cost us.. I mean, we are sitting on the sidelines waiting for them.. But in the end, WHEN prices goes up, we are the ones who will suffer more.. Has anyone thought about us the FANS who contribute in EVERY way to their season… Just a question??????
wm49rs
July 21st, 2011
4:07 pm
If the owners are crying poor, and asking for money back in a contract they agreed to, then yes, open the books and prove it. Otherwise they’re just full of sound and fury, signifying nothing…..
atlindenver
July 21st, 2011
4:10 pm
A newsflash for Joe Tess Fish House…..The players aren’t asking for more money and they didn’t go on strike.
The owners locked them out of the league and the owners are trying to take back money from the players. Get the facts straight….
toptencane
July 21st, 2011
4:24 pm
Schultzie , Please keep your political views to yourself. You never hear Bradley trying to get his political ‘ two cents’ in and neither should you. I normally avoid you because I’m here for sports, not politics.
Paddy
July 21st, 2011
5:00 pm
Joe Tess…..I can answer for D-Led. You said you hated the Falcons and were done with posting any more. I guess he took you at your word. Thats like trusting the ASG’s word on anything.
Ted Striker
July 21st, 2011
5:03 pm
@ TopTenCane (4:24 p.m) — Schultz didn’t say anything at all about politics until someone else (a blogger) did — who was looking for a direct response. And JS didn’t go on a diatribe then.
I’m sure he’d be quite content reading the newswire, watching ESPN and playing beer pong between columns if he didn’t have to respond to folks who want him to respond to their comments.
p.s. If you “normally avoid you” (Schultz) like you say, feel free to keep up the status quo. Ain’t no nevermind to ole Ted Striker. I’ll just read his column twice.
Mary Chestnut
July 21st, 2011
5:17 pm
I figure Roger and the boys, adn the players, were all in cahoots to begin with. This was nothing but an exercise to create buzz. The players worked out anyway. So, I smell a rat. Now all we need is Jerry Glanville’s grand return to top it all off.
Freddy
July 21st, 2011
5:18 pm
@1:30 you are one.
Michael
July 21st, 2011
5:36 pm
If the NBA owners are truly losing as much money as they claim they are, they better hold their owners meetings in a Motel 6 lobby to prove it…that is whenever the NBA owners and NBA Players Association find enough time and deem it important enough to negotiate.
Jeff Schultz
July 21st, 2011
6:26 pm
Been Tweeting updates @JeffSchultzAJC but for those who don’t follow, nothing’s going on. Owners actually out in the hallway on a “10 minute” break that now has gone on four about an hour. Eating at the buffet line. Not visible include Goodell, Jerry Jones, among others, so chances are a conference call is going on. … Players were scheduled to vote via conference call tonight.
31-0
July 21st, 2011
9:29 pm
The billionaire owners quickly vote to approve a new deal, where they get even richer, and the fans get hosed. Hopefully, the players reject this deal and some games get canceled. These billionaires are probably drinking toasts with $500 / bottle champagne, thinking about all the new money they are going to make from chump fans who have to pay higher prices for everything.