Recently, NFL commissioner Roger Godell and other league officials have demanded that players must compromise in order to be equal in agreement on a collective bargaining deal, which could result in a lockout. This message was sent to the NFL teams through a syndicated newspaper column, which is not the general way that these messages are delivered. The current deal is scheduled to expire on March 4, 2011 this year. With this date looming over the heads of both players and league executives, many people figured that it was time to negotiate the settlement.



In an interview with Reuters, Godell stated, "We need an agreement that both sides can live with and obtain what they need, not simply what they want, Today’s collective bargain agreement does not work as it should from the standpoint of the teams, and that, If needed adjustments are made, the NFL will be better for everyone. The first step is making sure a new collective bargaining agreement is more balanced and supports innovation and growth."


These statements, as well as Godell’s plea for peace among players and NFL leaders, came exactly one day after NFL owners apparently filed a bogus labor practice against the players union. It is decisions like these, according to Godell, that make the situation all the more unstable and likely to lead to disastrous results. As of now, players are entitled to 60 percent of the available revenue from the NFL. NFL leaders and the NFL commissioner, however, feel as if players should receive a smaller percentage of revenue.


At the moment, Godell is concerned about the ever-developing situation. Godell feels that if a deal cannot be reached, then the 2011 regular season could be in jeopardy. In an interview with the Associated Press, Godell also says owners need more money to offset "costs of financing, building, maintaining and operating stadiums." He added: "We need new stadiums in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Oakland and San Diego." Although this is the opinion of both Godell and the leaders of the NFL, many players feel extremely frustrated that an agreement cannot be reached amongst themselves.