Goodell: Ownership has a better understanding

If nothing else, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell believes he left Tuesday’s informational meeting with the league’s owners armed with a more focused framework for a labor agreement with the locked-out players.

“I think the ownership has a better understanding of the framework, and I think we have a better understanding of the various issues and priorities within the membership,” Goodell said at the end of a 5½-hour session at the Westin O’Hare in Rosemont.

“(But) I think that would be a little bit deceiving to say we have a consensus because we don’t have an agreement.

“We have a very strong view of the priorities, what we need to accomplish in the negotiations and a determination to get there. I think the ownership is unified on that basis.

“But obviously we’re negotiating with the players, and the players association, and that’s what we’ll resume doing shortly.”

That could happen as soon as Wednesday, and Goodell voiced optimism based on the face-to-face negotiations between groups representing players and owners that began three weeks ago under the supervision of a court-appointed mediator.

“I think it’s a tremendous positive that players and owners are talking to one another, negotiating,” Goodell said. “Hopefully we’ll all be successful in reaching an agreement that’s fair and balanced for everybody.

“It’s not what everybody wants; it’s what everybody needs to reach an agreement that’s fair and balanced and is going to make our game better and grow our game.”

The consensus is that a deal must be struck within the next three weeks for training camps and the preseason to proceed undisturbed, and there is much to be accomplished between now and then.

“It’s good that things seem to be moving,” said Patriots owner Robert Kraft, “but there’s a lot of hard work to do.”

Because of a court-ordered ban on discussing specifics of any meetings, most executives were tight-lipped, but Bears president and CEO Ted Phillips said: “It was a good update. We’re hopefully getting back to playing football soon, but it’s just not appropriate to comment any further right now.”

The looming drop-dead date for a full season could supply the impetus for a timely end to the dispute.

“Obviously time is moving quickly and we’re fast approaching the training- camp period,” Goodell said. “There’s an urgency for everybody to get this done.”

Published reports have speculated that players will receive 48 percent of total revenues, which were $9.2 billion last year.

Under the old agreement, players got 60 percent, but that was after owners took $1 billion off the top. A new agreement also is expected to contain a rookie wage scale and a higher minimum that must be spent with regard to the salary cap.

Players are expected to be eligible for unrestricted free agency after four years of service, as was the case in the old CBA.

“We have a lot of work to do, and we’ve got to do it right,” Goodell said. “The agreement that we’re focusing on and negotiating has got to address several issues.

“Those issues are complex and (they) need to be done in a way that’s fair to the players and fair to the clubs and, most importantly, allows us to continue to have that full 2011 season.

“That’s what we want. That’s what the fans want. They want football. And that’s our job to try to make that happen.”