NFL, Players Heading In Right Direction Toward New CBA

NEW YORK (AP) -- The NFL and its players were making progress in labor negotiations being held Tuesday at an undisclosed location in Maryland.

A person with knowledge of the talks told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the two sides are headed in the right direction and that lawyers for the owners and players "are back in the room" after being excluded from sessions the past two weeks. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the meeting are not being made public.

Two other people familiar with the talks say a framework for a new collective bargaining agreement could be in place before the owners' meetings next Tuesday in Chicago. Owners have been told by the league to prepare to stay beyond one day in Chicago.

Previous "secret" meetings have taken place in Chicago and New York. But the presence of lawyers at Tuesday's talks could indicate the side are hashing out details of a potential agreement. Still, it would be premature to predict an imminent end to the lockout, the people familiar with the talks told the AP.

However, the atmosphere of negotiations has been more positive than it was previously, creating "a sense of movement," they said.

On hand at the meetings are NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell; NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith; several owners, including the Giants' John Mara and the Cowboys' Jerry Jones; and a large group of players that includes NFLPA President Kevin Mawae, Jeff Saturday, Mike Vrabel, Tony Richardson and Domonique Foxworth.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)