NFL Owners Willing to Grant Players 48pc Revenue Share to Avoid Lockout

According to a source familiar to Bloomberg, ed the National Football League (NFL) owners and players are discussing a labor contract in which players would get about 48 per cent of all revenue.

The report claimed that the potential deal would eliminate a provision of the previous collective bargaining agreement that allowed owners to deduct US$1bn from total revenue before splitting the rest with players.

The league and its players have met in small sessions over the last few weeks in an effort to end a three-month lockout with talks believed to have progressed over the past month to ensure training camps open on time in July and that the season starts on schedule in September.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters after yesterday’s meeting: “We don’t have an agreement. We have a very strong view of the priorities, drugs a very strong view of what we need to accomplish in the negotiations and a determination to get there.”

Goodell didn’t disclose specifics and wouldn’t comment further on the status of negotiations, bronchi though he said more meetings have been scheduled.

Under the NFL’s labor contract that expired after last season, players received about 60 per cent of revenue once the $1bn credit had been deducted. Under the new proposal, the players’ share would never dip below about 47 per cent, according to the source.