CHICAGO
– DeMaurice Smith gave a sign of two thumbs up from a limousine
as he was driven away from Hotel Baker in St. Charles on Thursday
morning.
By Brad Biggs – Chicago Tribune
CHICAGO – DeMaurice Smith gave a sign of two thumbs up from a limousine as he was driven away from Hotel Baker in St. Charles on Thursday morning.
But the head of the NFLPA didn’t offer up much more than that after concluding two days of clandestine meetings with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and influential owners in the western suburbs.
“I’m going to be nice,” Smith said. “No comment.”
Smith left the upscale hotel situated on the Fox River with five current and former players – Domonique Foxworth of the Ravens, Mike Vrabel of the Chiefs, Kevin Mawae, Tony Richardson of the Jets and Jeff Saturday of the Colts. No deal was carved out between the two sides, and the next step is an appeal hearing Friday in St. Louis before the 8th Circuit Court.
The hope is the two sides at least explored some common ground in the talks, which did not include lawyers for either side.
“That was the point of the meeting,” said one of the players, who declined to go into more details. “No lawyers.”
“We were here,” Mawae said, smiling.
Goodell and owners Jerry Jones of the Cowboys, Robert Kraft of the Patriots and Jerry Richardson of the Panthers arrived late Tuesday afternoon using nearby DuPage Airport, a pad for private jets. The NFLPA party used commercial travel, highlighting a difference in the labor struggle between billionaires and millionaires. The NFL is grinding along toward the third month of the lockout.
“We’re not going to make any comments,” Goodell said as he climbed into the same SUV that transported Kraft to his jet at DuPage Airport on Wednesday. “They will be issuing a statement.”
Asked if there are plans to meet again soon, Goodell repeated himself. Asked if there was a reason for optimism, he politely closed the door to the vehicle.
The statement Goodell promised eventually arrived. It was from the league and players and read: “The parties met pursuant to court mediation. Owners and players were engaged in confidential discussions before Chief Magistrate Judge Boylan. The court has ordered continued confidentiality of the mediation sessions.”
Jones said he had an enjoyable visit to the Fox Valley as he departed in a rented Ford Escape, a far cry from the Gulfstream jet with blue stars on the tail that he arrived in.
“We can’t make a comment about it at all, but we’re trying,” Jones said. “I think the fact that we’re meeting is good.”
Clearly a deal to solve the labor mess wasn’t cut in the backyard of the Bears, but perhaps the face-to-face meetings will lead to progress.
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter first reported that the owners were in town to secretly meet with the NFLPA. Their report had one source saying perhaps a deal could be brokered before the end of the month. Giants owner John Mara and Steelers owner Art Rooney were also involved, per the report. The Bears were not represented at the meetings.
Lovie Smith’s mandatory three-day minicamp was supposed to begin Friday at Halas Hall. That won’t happen. Whether the Bears will make it to training camp on time remains to be seen.
