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The Sports Network
New York, NY (Sports Network) - Following another day of "constructive" talks in the NFL labor negotiations, the sides broke for the weekend Friday without an agreement but with clear signs that the lockout could soon end.
The NFL and NFL Players Association issued a joint statement saying three days of talks were "constructive and progress has been made on a range of issues."
"Our legal and financial teams will continue to work through the weekend," the statement continued.
Although the sides said they would continue to respect confidentiality orders from the federal judge overseeing negotiations, details continued to leak from the closed sessions.
By all accounts, it was a pivotal week.
The urgency to end the lockout, now four months old, has been ratcheted up with an eye on having an agreement in place in time for league meetings next Thursday, according to media accounts.
Outlets had long relayed the poorly-kept secret that Friday's date -- July 15 -- was what the NFL Network called "an internal deadline to save the preseason in its normal form."
While no agreement has been reached, the league and players have reportedly come together on several big issues.
They took a big step forward Thursday by agreeing on a rookie wage scale and a salary cap, according to reports -- two issues that had been key sticking points on reaching a new collective bargaining agreement.
After meeting late into the night Thursday, the sides resumed talks Friday morning that lasted for around eight hours.
If an agreement on a new CBA is reached in time, owners could vote on the deal when they meet July 21 in Atlanta.
The lockout, of course, began on March 12 after the sides failed to reach an agreement on how to split about $9 billion in revenue, among other issues like a rookie wage scale, the salary cap and retirement benefits.
In the four months since, they have battled each other in courts and during negotiating sessions that have become increasingly secretive.
NFL Network reported Friday that issues related to player safety and legal "entanglements" -- the players still have an antitrust lawsuit open against the NFL -- are among the major topics that still remain to be handled.
Time is ticking for a new CBA to be reached. The preseason is supposed to start August 7 when the Chicago Bears and St. Louis Rams play the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. The start of training camps, scheduled to begin the end of next week, are also threatened.
The Sports Network