Latest talks accomplish little, but sides will meet again Monday

NEW YORK -- Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in January that a deadline "has to be real" to create the anxiety needed to push parties to a new collective bargaining deal that works for everyone.

And so it is.

NFL players and owners wrapped up a frustrating couple of days in Manhattan with 10 hours of talks Friday that didn't produce much. In fact, three sources, including figures on each side, said there was little to no progress on the core issues the parties had hoped to break through in constructing a new labor deal this week.

Players could file another injunction According to legal sources, the language from Friday's ruling creates an opportunity for the NFLPA to file another expedited injunction seeking more rights for rookies and free agents not under contract. More ...

As a result, the lockout, which is now in its fifth month, will continue into next week. There will be communication between the parties over the weekend -- it's not considered a "weekend off" -- but the next set of face-to-face labor talks won't occur until Monday. The legal teams and staff from each side will convene in Manhattan, with the players and owners expected to join them Tuesday or Wednesday.

"We're going to break for the weekend, get back to work next week. We continue to work hard to get something done," NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith said. "I know our fans want us to get something done as quickly as possible."

Smith led a six-man group of players, with retirees Kevin Mawae, the NFLPA president, Sean Morey and Pete Kendall joined by active players Charlie Batch, Jeff Saturday and Domonique Foxworth. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was accompanied by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II, Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt and the New York Giants' John Mara.

Smith conducted a conference call with players at 3 p.m. ET, about six hours into the meeting, was thanked for his efforts by a number of players and told the group would stay united during an important time.

Next week's talks will be critical, with the days waning before preseason games will be forced off the schedule. The NFL estimates an entirely canceled preseason would cost nearly $1 billion in revenue, and although the players believe that number is inflated, there is little question the figure would be significant and take a serious toll on any proposal made by the league.

Judge Arthur J. Boylan, who is mediating the labor dispute between NFL owners and players, also scheduled a future session for July 19 in Minneapolis. Boylan set the meeting on Saturday, just before starting his vacation. But he also made clear that both sides should continue their own sessions in the interim as they work toward a new collective bargaining agreement.

Boylan ordered both sides to continue mediation without him "in an effort to define and narrow the differences between their respective settlement positions." He also ordered attorneys from both sides to be ready to meet with him on the evening of July 18 "for an in-person agenda- setting session" that presumably would set the stage for meaningful, fruitful talks the following day.

Adversely affecting Friday's talks was the late-morning ruling from the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which overturned U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson's April decision to issue an injunction to lift the NFL lockout.

Although the decision enabled the lockout to remain in place, the players were afforded leverage as well, and NFLPA officials found solace in elements of the decision.

First, the appeals court allowed the players' antitrust litigation to move forward, meaning the owners are operating in treble damages liability as long as the lockout is ongoing.

Second, the court declined to rule on the legality of the owners locking out the league's unsigned players -- rookies and unrestricted free agents. The players can file for an injunction with Nelson's court to allow those players to sign with teams, something they are confident they would be granted based on the district judge's earlier decision, and create a chaotic situation for the league.

Judge Kermit Bye dissented on the decision. He had said at a June 3 hearing that the decision would be one "both sides aren't going to like," and the panel certainly delivered that.

The idea, ultimately, is to place the parties in uncomfortable positions that encourage them to resolve the situation on their own, something they said in a joint statement that they'd continue to work to do.

One more outstanding court decision remains: Judge David Doty has yet to issue his ruling on the networks rights-fees case, which will determine the fate of more than $4 billion in television revenue.

Doty, like the 8th U.S. Circuit Court, said in court he would rather the players and owners work out their differences before he makes a ruling in his case.

Next Friday, July 15, has long been seen as a deadline to get a deal and save the preseason in full. There are a number of issues -- including the rookie salary system and funding of retiree benefits -- on which the parties have failed to make breakthroughs.

Those issues flow into the larger issue of the revenue split. After progress June 30 and July 1 in Minneapolis, larger concepts in that area, such as the all-revenue model, may no longer be stumbling blocks. But the related issues have potential to tear down what's in place.

When talks resume next week, the lawyers will continue to hammer away at language and details, an area where they were able to make progress earlier this week.

It has been estimated that it would take between 10 and 14 days to go from an agreement to a signed document, and the aim of those sessions is to cut down that time and lay groundwork to quickly move things from a settlement to the opening of training camps. The Chicago Bears and St. Louis Rams, who are scheduled to play in the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 7, are scheduled to report to camp July 22.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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'Little' parking issue: Browns rookie ticketed 93 times at UNC

Greg Little continues to make headlines for his actions off the field, not on it.

The University of North Carolina has identified eight players, including Little, who accumulated 317 parking tickets, which were uncovered in documents requested by media outlets covering the ongoing NCAA probe of the school's football program.

The latest release showed Little racked up 93 of those tickets on multiple vehicles with nine different license plates.

Little was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He was suspended for his senior year at North Carolina because of NCAA benefits violations.

The school released a chart Friday that links players' names to their license plate numbers on vehicles that included a Land Rover, BMW and an Acura.

A week ago, the school released records that showed some players combined for 395 citations totaling more than $13,000 between March 2007 and August 2010.

Three other NFL rookies were named in the documents: Dallas Cowboys linebacker Bruce Carter, St. Louis Rams defensive lineman Robert Quinn and Buffalo Bills running back Johnny White. The other players identified were defensive backs Charles Brown, Kendrick Burney and Deunta Williams, and running back Ryan Houston.

The names of those whose cars received the other 78 citations weren't identified by the school.

The citations ranged in penalty from $5 for improperly displaying a parking permit to $250 for parking in a fire lane or handicapped space, and the total amount of those 395 tickets was $13,185.

The school said last week that of the 395 tickets, 30 remained unpaid. School spokesman Mike McFarland said Friday that he didn't have any updated figures.

The school has said players don't receive special treatment when it comes to parking and that they're expected to pay parking fines like any other student.

Little, who was declared "permanently ineligible" by the NCAA in October, received 43 tickets on a gray Nissan car and 38 on a gray Dodge. He also was listed as being responsible for a green BMW (seven tickets), a black Acura (four) and a black Honda (one).

Houston's black Land Rover was ticketed 63 times. Quinn received a total of 53 tickets on a blue Dodge and a red Ford. Brown's purple Chevrolet received 38 citations, and vehicles linked to Williams, White and Burney each were cited 20 total times. Ten tickets were listed for Carter's red Dodge.

Last week's release came after the North Carolina Court of Appeals denied the school's request to delay the release of those records pending an appeal, and included citations for 11 players requested by media. That ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by several news outlets, including The Associated Press.

The school said not all of those 11 players had received tickets.

Earlier this week, North Carolina received a notice of allegations from the NCAA outlining numerous "potential major violations" in the football program, including unethical conduct by a former assistant coach as well as failure to adequately monitor the conduct of a former and current players.

The NCAA has informed the school that it plans to complete its investigation this month. In all, 14 players missed at least one game this season because of the probe, with seven being ruled out for the entire year. An eighth was cleared to return at midseason but decided to redshirt.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Players miss precious little things about offseason training

David Goldman / Associated PressThe lockout forced Jason Campbell to work out with fellow Raiders at an indoor pool in Lawrenceville, Ga.

Falcons safety Thomas DeCoud entered a high school practice field in suburban Atlanta for a seven-on-seven session a few weeks ago carrying the pink-highlighted cleats that many players wore to raise awareness for breast cancer research last season. He said those happened to be the only shoes he nabbed from his locker before the NFL lockout kicked in -- and kicked him out of the team facility in Flowery Branch, Ga.

p>San Diego Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers said he bought his own case of water for team workouts. I had to lend my hand towel to Oakland Raiders linebacker Rolando McClain to wipe his brow before he did an on-camera interview because he didn't have one. The Carolina Panthers hired a cop to keep the media way from their private sessions. The New England Patriots reportedly did the same.

Not since high school have NFL players had to fend so much for themselves -- even to get in a glorified game of touch football. Watching these players arrive to a workout with bags, balls -- their kids -- has been like witnessing soccer dads haul coolers of foil juice packs and granola bars to the recreation fields for a tournament.

For an NFL player, that's slumming.

Usually this time of year, players are at their respective facilities, getting stretched by trainers, having batting gloves brought to them and asking medical staffers to add another round of tape around their wrists. Fields are lined with jugs of water and bottles of flavored sports drinks. Machines zip balls to receivers and punt returners, and trainers are there for every muscle tweak.

There is no need for Jason Campbell or Matt Ryan to carry a playbook into the huddle because they've gone over scripts in meetings rooms and know the plan. Plus, coaches have the play sheets. When the workouts are over, lunch, showers, weight rooms, air conditioning and massage therapists await.

What a difference labor strife makes.

NFL players, Richard Seymour included, are training their own way during the lockout. (David Goldman/Associated Press)

When the Raiders gathered in suburban Atlanta recently for a three-day minicamp, Campbell went into the huddle with a folder filled with loose-leaf paper and the team's offensive plays. A wind gust could have sent his belongings awry and made some wayward observer some coin on eBay. Ryan and other quarterbacks, including Minnesota Vikings rookie Christian Ponder, have had playbooks, too, and spent time before workouts scripting drills.

At least the Raiders had personal trainers from Competitive Edge Sports run their sessions. Staffers filmed positional workouts. They provided ice and water bottles and lugged dummies, balls and other training gear in trailers. Other players might not even know where to go to buy cones to run through since they probably haven't had to in years. That leads to another subject: cost.

Players -- or their agents -- have to pay to train. The cost could range upwards of $2,000 or $3,000 per player per month if players don't live where they train and have to rent apartments. Top-shelf facilities such as CES, Athletes Performance and Tom Shaw's camp in Orlando aren't cheap. Some agents have told me they've put the onus on the players because the agents have to feed their families, too.

Travelle Gaines, who runs AP's training staff and is based in Los Angeles, along with CES founder Chip Smith, told me the lockout has been good for business. Usually they'd be training high school or college athletes this time of year or in Gaines' case, "this is when I'd usually be fishing in Louisiana." Now they have dozens of professionals coming in nearly every day looking for help.

There's a flip side, though. Some players have retreated from those workouts or not come at all because they're sticking to a tight budget in case of a lengthy lockout. Gaines, Smith and other trainers have said they're worried that those players who aren't training might not be disciplined enough to train on their own and, when football starts, resort to crash diets or diuretics to cut weight.

There's also another face to this: the undrafted free agents. Most of these guys don't have deep-pocketed agents to front them money to train or eat properly. They'll also have a much shorter window to catch coaches' attention once football resumes. Keep in mind, they're also the guys who are worked the hardest in training camp because they're the ones spelling the veterans who get to rest one of the twice daily workouts.

They can't miss a snap. These are the guys desperate to train.

At least one of these guys is quite resourceful -- and there probably are plenty of others. A rookie free agent who shall remain unnamed is one of 30 or so players who trains daily with Smith at CES. In lieu of payment, Smith has allowed him to work at the facility in the afternoons and evenings behind the front desk, cleaning up the weight room.

Whatever needs to be done.

An added benefit: The player also gets free beverages, snack bars and locker-room facilities. He also gets to train, which could make the difference between him playing football or working at one of the facilities full time in the fall.

Follow Steve Wyche on Twitter @wyche89

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Happy as a Bear, Peppers calls exit from Panthers 'a little sour'

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Julius Peppers described his offseason departure from the Carolina Panthers as "a little sour" Wednesday, claiming the team tried to paint him in a bad light after deciding to let him leave in free agency.

In a conference call with reporters ahead of his return to Charlotte on Sunday with the Chicago Bears, Peppers said he was under the impression the Panthers decided to "do away with anybody who is making a significant amount of money" as part of a roster overhaul that has produced the NFL's youngest team.

"That's a business decision. I can understand and respect that," said Peppers, who's 30. "The problem that I had was they tried to turn the tables and make it look like I wanted out no matter what. Really, I didn't have the option to stay. It was never offered to stay."

"So when I say it ended a little sour, I felt like it could have been a little more respectful. At least a phone call to say, 'It's been good. We're going in a different direction. We're going to let you go.' They couldn't even give me that."

Peppers also disputed Panthers general manager Marty Hurney's earlier claims that they twice tried to make the the five-time Pro Bowl defensive end the NFL's highest-paid defensive player. Peppers said that happened only once, after the 2007 season, a deal he rejected.

Hurney didn't return a message seeking comment, releasing only a short statement that didn't address Peppers' criticism of the Panthers.

"Julius gave us eight great years and we appreciate everything he did for us," Hurney said.

The Panthers and Peppers were locked in a lengthy contract dispute that included his pleas to allow him to leave in free agency after the 2008 season. The Panthers refused and used the restrictive franchise tag, requiring a mammoth one-year deal that paid Peppers $18.2 million last season.

The Panthers could have used the franchise tag again this season, but at the cost of at least $20.1 million. The Panthers declined and let the 6-foot-7 Peppers, the franchise's career leader with 81 sacks, leave without compensation.

Peppers, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2002 draft by the Panthers, signed a six-year, $91.5 million deal with the Bears in March. While he said he's happy in Chicago -- he has two sacks, two forced fumbles and a blocked field goal for the Bears (3-1) -- he's puzzled with how things ended in Charlotte.

"I was kind of surprised because I was expecting to hear something from them," Peppers said. "I didn't understand what was going on. But as the weeks and the months went by, I started getting the picture of the direction they were going in and I knew I wasn't a part of it."

Now Peppers, a Bailey, N.C., native who starred in college in North Carolina, will return home Sunday to play the struggling Panthers (0-4) for the first time. After the two years of rocky contract negotiations, Peppers said he has "no idea" how he'll be received by fans.

But Peppers clearly was frustrated at the perception he doesn't play hard on every down. The reputation has stayed with him since college and was fueled by games in Carolina in which the freakishly athletic Peppers had little impact.

"I just see that as people not being able to form an opinion for themselves," Peppers said. "People will hear one thing and just run with it. ... A couple people started saying it for whatever reason, and then it followed me. And then people just kept repeating it, even though it wasn't true."

Peppers, who also ranks first in Panthers history with 29 forced fumbles and nine blocked kicks, is proud of his time with the team despite the criticism and messy ending.

"Look at a guy like Dwight Freeney, who had (84) sacks or whatever it was in eight seasons. I'm right there behind him at 81," Peppers said. "If people look at the numbers and stop just making up stuff about how I played, you'll realize I've done well and really I think I exceeded expectations when I was brought to that team."

Notes: Panthers WR Steve Smith was on crutches in the locker room after missing practice with a high ankle sprain. Smith is expected to miss at least one game. ... Safety Sherrod Martin (concussion) sat out practice, but he is holding out hope that he'll be cleared to play Sunday. ... RB DeAngelo Williams (illness) and RT Jeff Otah (knee) didn't practice, and LB Jamar Williams (neck) was limited. ... The first court appearance for WR Dwayne Jarrett, cut by the Panthers on Tuesday after he was charged with driving while impaired, was postponed from Wednesday to Nov. 12.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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