NFL Lockout Status Stalled by Players' Delayed Vote

The status of the NFL lockout is the same as it has been for ages now. As of Thursday, the players and owners are still saying progress is being made and a deal is almost at hand. Yet that status may undergo a radical change by the end of the day, since owners want to vote on and approve the new collective bargaining agreement in the next several hours. However, will players be as eager to end the lockout, and will they take the blame if they aren't?

Pretty much every NFL fan is counting on, or at least hoping and praying, that the last bit of progress is made toward ending this strife Thursday. July 21 has been projected as the deadline to approve the CBA all week, since it is the day of the owners' annual meeting in Atlanta. But just because the owners want to get things done now doesn't mean the players are in as big of a hurry.

NFLPA president Kevin Mawae helped cause dread for those who want to see a deal done now, as he stated on Wednesday the players are "not tied to a deadline," according to USA TODAY. However, the owners seem more eager to tie themselves to one, which may be a greater relief to fatigued fans.

As such, if the players hold up an agreement and further drag things out, it may not be the best PR move. In fact, it could give the owners an advantage, allowing them to accuse the players union of holding up the deal and preventing football from coming back. But hopefully enough progress has been made that they aren't trying to get that kind of sniping advantage anymore.

Yet this is still a fragile procedure, although it seems 90 percent of the issues have been settled. But if the 10 percent continues to delay things, especially after endless speculation that it would all be over soon, then it will be a big setback. And if it's enough of a setback to drag things out for several more days, then the players will probably get most of the blame.

Of course, Mawae stressed that their greater concern is getting a better deal rather than getting it done by an arbitrary deadline. But after months of the lockout and the increasing anxiety to actually see football again, not every fan might see it that way. And if public opinion goes against the players, and more division is seen, then the owners could get greedy enough to push even further and really mess things up.

As such, everything hinges on what the status of the lockout is after Thursday and whether there is still a lockout or not. If both sides are ready to finally cross the Ts, then there's nothing to worry about. But if not, then the blame game would begin again throughout the NFL community.

Sources

USA TODAY- "NFLPA president Kevin Mawae: We're not tied to a deadline"