NFL, Players to Reconvene in June

(Newsroom America) -- The NFL and its players finished a third round of court-ordered mediation Tuesday, saying they will reconvene June 7 after the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that the league could maintain its player lockout for the time being.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan scheduled another two-day mediation set to begin after the 8th Circuit's June 3 hearing on the appeal of Judge Susan's Nelson's decision to grant players an injunction against the owners' lockout, NFL.com reported.

"The only way we're going to get this accomplished is by face-by-face dialogue and really digging into these issues and I think we had a good step in that direction today and I hope it continues," NFL general counsel Jeff Pash told the network.

"I'm confident it's going to continue and we'll be back early next month to continue this process," he said. "The chief judge is doing an excellent job in terms of pushing the parties to think about their positions and think about the broader issues that are at stake here."

Some analysts believe the wording of the 8th Circuit's Monday ruling foreshadows an eventual decision by the full appeals court that will eventually favor the league and possibly extend the lockout into the 2011 season.

But former player and named plaintiff Carl Eller told the network Tuesday he believed the latest round of mediation was the most productive because players received a bullet point list of positions from the league.

Pash told the network he didn't think the the courts could solve the disagreements between players and the league, and that ultimately only talks could do that.

"What goes on in the courtroom, I know everyone's focused on it, I know it has significance, but it is not going to lead to a solution," he said. "We owe it to our game, we owe it to our fans, we owe it to each other, the players and the clubs, to sit down and negotiate. And that's what the next set of discussions has to be focused on."

© 2010 Newsroom America.

Contact Jon E. Dougherty