FMCS Director George Cohen's Statement on Status of NFL-NFLPA Mediation
As mediation meetings broke Thursday evening for a long weekend, chief mediator and Director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service George Cohen issued a statement providing a status update on the negotiations between the NFL and NFLPA. From that statement:
Our time together has been devoted to establishing an atmosphere conducive to meaningful negotiations and, of course, matters of process and substance. I can report that throughout this extensive period the parties engaged in highly focused, constructive dialogue concerning a host of issues covering both economics and player-related conditions. The tenor of the across-the table discussions reflected a noteworthy level of mutual respect even in the face of strongly held competing positions. The parties met both in full committee and in subcommittees where discrete, technical issues lent themselves to smaller groups.
At bottom, some progress was made, but very strong differences remain on the all-important core issues that separate the parties. Nonetheless, I recommended and the parties have agreed to resume the mediation process in my office commencing next Tuesday (March 1). During the intervening weekend, the parties have been asked by us to assess their current positions on those outstanding issues.
The parties will also both be attending the league's scouting combine in Indianapolis this weekend, which should provide some opportunity for interaction and perhaps even some side conversations. As I suggested to the Washington Post last week, we should have a sense once those talks resume next week whether the parties believe that, with the mediator's assistance, a deal is within reach -- or, whether a work stoppage is more likely soon after the CBA's March 3rd expiration.
