Lawyers For NFL, Players Talk Mediation With MN Judge
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Attorneys for NFL players and the league held a conference call Friday to discuss mediation with the federal judge currently deciding whether to lift the lockout.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello confirmed the call took place. He said U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson wanted the details to remain private.
After a hearing Wednesday on the players' request to lift the lockout, Nelson urged both sides to resume talks toward a new collective bargaining agreement. Negotiations broke down last month.
Both sides expressed a willingness to talk, but the NFL wants to resume negotiations before a federal mediator while the players prefer to remain in Nelson's court where they have also filed an antitrust lawsuit against the league.
Also Friday, the head of the now-dissolved NFL Players Association, DeMaurice Smith, was formally added as an attorney for the players.
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