The NFL owners have presented themselves as a unified group throughout the NFL lockout and while that may still be the case it appears there are some owners that aren’t completely happy with the way talks have gone. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, there is resistance among some NFL owners regarding the status of the talks and the potential deals that have been proposed.
NFL Lockout: Some Owners Concerned About Negotiations
A handful of NFL owners -- at least two of which are from AFC teams -- believe the parameters of the deal being discussed don’t adequately address the original issues the league wanted corrected from the 2006 collective bargaining agreement, according to sources.
We're not sure who those owners are but it is curious that two of them are from the AFC side. Bengals owner Mike Brown and Bills owner Ralph Wilson were the two owners who voted against the previous CBA so it makes you wonder if they're against the talks this time around.
The problem with just a handful of owners becoming unhappy is that they may not be able to do anything about it. Only 24 of the league’s 32 owners need to approve of a new CBA so, if there’s an offer on the table that the players will accept, a “handful of NFL owners” may not be enough to change anything.
Schefter also reports that Tuesday’s owners meeting, which could spill into Wednesday, will plan to address the concerns of these owners who aren’t sure that the current negotiations represent the original reasons for opting out of the CBA. The goal will apparently be to develop a consensus on the various issues being discussed.
If some owners are upset, then it’s a pretty good indication that at least some parts of the deal being offered to the players is fair. It suggests that the owners are compromising on key issues that may not necessarily please everyone.
Whoever is happy or unhappy, let’s just hope they cut a deal to end the NFL lockout.
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