Player Reps Vote Unanimously to End NFL Lockout

(Newsroom America) -- The 32 NFL player representatives voted unanimously Monday to accept a new financial agreement hammered out with owners over the past month, meaning it will now be presented to all of the league's players for final approval.

Before then, it will go before the 10 plaintiffs in Brady antitrust lawsuit, who have agreed to sign off on it as well, NFL.com reported.

During a press conference with the 13-man executive committee outside the NFLPA headquarters in Washington, D.C., NFL Players Association executive director said the player reps' vote essentially means the four-and-a-half month old player lockout is over.

"To our fans, I know that you love this game as much as I do. And I know it has been a very long process, since the day that we stood here that night in March," he said. "But our guys stood together when nobody though we would and football is back because of it."

Smith is expected to appear with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell later this afternoon for a joint press conference to announce the deal.

Player reps began a conference call at 11 a.m. EDT to review terms of the deal, pulling out some key points of contention and explaining them. Sources told NFL.com there was no opt-out in the deal, so if approved the current collective bargaining agreement would last 10 years.

© 2010 Newsroom America.

Contact Jon E. Dougherty

Newsroom America Twitter Feed