Today was the deadline for the latest contract extension and a new deal was not reached. According to ESPN.com:
NFL labor talks broke down just hours before the latest contract extension expired Friday.
The union decertified, and players including Tom Brady and Peyton Manning sued the league, putting the country’s most popular sport on a path to its first work stoppage since 1987.
Despite 16 days of negotiations with a federal mediator — and previous months of stop-and-start bargaining — the sides could not agree on a new deal. The league said it hadn’t decided whether to lock out the players, who, meanwhile, went to court to request an injunction to block such a move.
Certainly there are two sides to every story. Both sides have released their version to the media. Union head DeMaurice Smith spoke to the media earlier today:
Here is the statement that the NFL released to the media today.
