Finally after months of uncertainty it looks like their will be a 2011 NFL season after the owners agreed on the proposed 10-year labor agreement with the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) on Thursday. Now all it needs is for the players to ratify it and it should be ass systems go for the new season.
The franchise owners voted 31-0 to accept the collective bargaining agreement (CBA), with only the Oakland Raiders choosing to abstain.
NFLPA are reportedly optimistic that the players will accept however there are a few minor niggles remaining the biggest being that some players want an opt-out clause at the end of year seven. Given that if the players would suffer financially if they chose to exercise this it shouldn’t be a major issue. The other possible problem is that The NFL wants the players to re-establish a union before owners will lift the lockout. This could cause a few administrative delays given the number of players involved.
The Hall of Fame game has already fallen victim to the dispute and if the players don’t get their side of the act together some of the pre-season fixtures could go too.