Six owners are meeting with De Smith, Jeff Saturday, and other representatives of the NFL players union today to (hopefully) finalize a new collective bargaining agreement in time for next week's meeting in Minnesota with Magistrate Judge Boylan.
In anticipation of this, the three 'big guns' named as plaintiffs in the now-historic anti-trust lawsuit, known as Brady v. NFL, have issued a statement to the press. Those 'big guns' are Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Drew Brees, and their message is crystal clear: Get this deal done NOW!
"We believe the overall proposal made by the players is fair for both sides and it is time to get this deal done."
The statement continued: "This is the time of year we as players turn our attention to the game on the field. We hope the owners feel the same way."
With Peyton, Tom, and Drew finally making a formal statement to the media regarding this lawsuit, I have genuine faith that this lockout might be drawing to a conclusion. The statement essentially tells the owners, 'This is it. Take it or leave it.'
Here's to hoping the owners get the message and agree.
[UPDATE]: The NFL has already responded to the statement. From Greg Aeillo, NFL PR:
Our comment on the Brady-Manning-Brees statement: “We share the view that now is the time to reach an agreement so we can all get back to football and a full 2011 season. We are working hard with the players’ negotiating team every day to complete an agreement as soon as possible.” End of NFL comment.