NFL and PA Agree to Week-Long Extension in CBA Talks
March 7, 2011
As expected, the National Football League (NFL) and the players’ union agreed on Friday, March 4, to a seven-day extension for talks over a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
The sides will return, later today (March 7), to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service in an effort to finalise a new deal before the latest CBA expiration date.
The extension of talks gives renewed hope to NFL fans as the two parties continue to negotiate an agreement on labour contracts. The original deadline for the CBA was midnight eastern time on Thursday, March 3, but the talks were extended by one day before a week-long extension was agreed.
According to the Associated Press, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stated on Friday: “We believe, as I’ve said many times before, that this will be solved through negotiations, and that’s what we focused on, so we’ll continue to work hard and we’ll be back next week”.
NFL Players’ Association executive director DeMaurice Smith added: “There’s a commitment from both sides to engage in another round of negotiations at the request of the mediation service. We look forward to a deal coming out of that.”