"Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus"

[Bigblue25]

 

Sources: Mediation to be set this week

By Adam Schefter and John Clayton

ESPN.com

 

Judge Susan Richard Nelson told the NFL and NFLPA that she will impose forced mediation on them early this week, sources familiar with the situation told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

 

The league had wanted more mediation in Washington D.C., while federal mediator George Cohen and the NFLPA wanted mediation in Minnesota.

 

Judge Nelson will decide what she feels is best and announce her decision early this week.

 

Judge Nelson had a one-hour conference call Friday with both sides and said she would use the weekend to figure out a solution, a source told ESPN's John Clayton.

 

One of the keys to any type of mediation is whether NFL owners are willing to not use a meeting with members of the NFL Players executive committee or members of the decertified NFLPA against the plaintiffs in the Tom Brady lawsuit filed in Nelson's federal court in St. Paul, Minn. Lawyers for the NFL offered such protection Friday in a letter to Judge Nelson and also indicated any mediation session would include owners with decision-making ability.

 

After the Friday conference call, Judge Nelson told both sides to be quiet about the conversations.

 

Adam Schefter is ESPN's NFL Insider. John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

 

 

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6324392

[Mr. P]

I for one AM holding out hope for a season.

[Treehugger]

What's the "Tom Brady lawsuit"?

[Mr. P]

the lawsuit with brady, manning, brees etc.

 

 

its the reason they are in court right now instead of just being locked out sitting on their hands.

[Bigblue25]

from what I gather is the NFLPA, didn't take the negotiations in Washington a month ago too serious. Goodell and the owners basically said, this is the deal and there's no waivering from our side, Goodell brought in his own mediator,which gave the owners all the leverage. Bad deal for the players, and when they didn't take it, the owners made the players out to be the bad guys. That's why the players said we will take it the court and get a fair mediation which is exactly what happened with this judge. There is definitely gonna be a new deal by the draft.

[BlueInCanada]

from what I gather is the NFLPA, didn't take the negotiations in Washington a month ago too serious. Goodell and the owners basically said, this is the deal and there's no waivering from our side, Goodell brought in his own mediator,which gave the owners all the leverage. Bad deal for the players, and when they didn't take it, the owners made the players out to be the bad guys. That's why the players said we will take it the court and get a fair mediation which is exactly what happened with this judge. There is definitely gonna be a new deal by the draft.

 

Goodell had nothing to do with any mediation talk in all honesty. It was the owners and the former NFLPA trying to talk things out and when nothing was being done a federal mediator was brought in to help get the talks along. Geroge Cohen wasnt "Goodells mediator" he was a neutral party mediator who was brought in to help with the negotiations.

 

The new mediation is what the OWNERS have wanted since day one, all the union did back in their first talks was come in and say "No matter what happens we are going to court" Hard to negotiate when one side already has their mind made up of going to court.

 

I highly doubt we will see any difference in an offer laid out by the owners in these new mediation sessions, the owners laid out a very respectable and fair deal the first time around and I see no reason why they should change it.

[BronxRik]

What's the "Tom Brady lawsuit"?

It's the suit the refs have to wear when enforcing "The Brady Rule".