By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK (Reuters) – NFL owners voted on Thursday to accept the negotiated terms of a proposed new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the league said, leaving the players to decide whether to approve the deal.
The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) now needs to vote in favor of the terms for there to be a new agreement, the league added in a statement after the owners’ meeting.
If two-thirds of the NFLPA representatives vote to approve the terms, the deal, which would reportedly run through 2029, will then go to a vote among all the players.
Since clubs and players need to have a system in place and know the rules they will operate under by next week, the owners also approved moving forward under the final year of the 2011 CBA in case the players do not approve the negotiated terms.
According to a report on the NFL’s website http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001102575/article/nfl-ownership-app…, the players and their representatives will consider the owner-approved CBA proposal in a conference call on Friday.
A key point of contention has been a proposed 17th regular-season game.
The NFLPA told reporters at a Miami news conference ahead of the Super Bowl that they have serious concerns about the impact an additional game would have on player safety.
Asked about the issue at his own pre-Super Bowl news conference last month, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league had implemented “over 50 rule changes to make our game safer” over the last 10 to 15 years.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery; Writing by Frank Pingue; editing by Ken Ferris)
