Arthur Blank, who's been among the NFL's quietest owners during the battle over the collective bargaining agreement and impending NFL lockout, Thursday said that he believes negotiations are over, according to CBS Sports. That doesn't imply a solution has been reached, just that everyone is throwing up their hands for the moment.
However, NFL Network's Jason La Canfora says the parties will continue talking until at least 5:30 pm ET. This could all mean that talks are still technically ongoing, but practically done with as far as production goes.
The current CBA is set to expire a minute before midnight Thursday night. The two parties could agree on an extension that would give them more time to negotiate, but the players union is reportedly hesitant about that proposal. If the lockout does go down, the union will likely opt to decertify, which would let them hang onto Judge David Doty, who's already overseen their biggest win yet.
Also interesting that Blank is reportedly talking now, because the NFL had issued a gag order for all team owners on Wednesday. If Blank, no troublemaker, is talking about the negotiations, they must indeed be concluded for the time being.
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