Football is back: NFL, players reach new deal

DeMaurice Smith of the players' union speaks after the lockout ended as Commissioner Roger Goodell listens.

WASHINGTON -- After months of public nastiness and private negotiations, of court filings and rulings, of players and owners squabbling over more than $9 billion a year, NFL fans finally saw the handshake and heard the words they awaited: "Football's back."

Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, and DeMaurice Smith, head of the NFL Players Association, both used that phrase while standing shoulder to shoulder Monday, announcing their agreement on a 10-year deal to end the lockout that began in March.

Then came what may truly be the lasting image of the dispute's resolution: Indianapolis Colts offensive lineman Jeff Saturday wrapped one of his burly arms around New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and enveloped him in a hug -- a gesture that symbolized the acrimony's end more than any statement could.

"I'd like, on behalf of both sides, to apologize to the fans: For the last five, six months we've been talking about the business of football -- and not what goes on, on the field, and building the teams in each market," Mr. Kraft said. "But the end result is we've been able to have an agreement that I think is going to allow this sport to flourish over the next decade."

Some players took to social media to celebrate the end of the lockout. "I'm turning cartwheels in the parking lot," Chicago Bears safety Chris Harris said on Twitter.

"Today feels like a Holiday to me!! Thank God for football!" Denver Broncos rookie linebacker Von Miller tweeted.

Owners can point to victories, such as gaining a higher percentage of all revenue, one of the central issues -- they get 53 percent, players 47 percent; the old deal was closer to 50-50. There's also a new system that will rein in spending on contracts for first-round draft picks.

Players, meanwhile, persuaded teams to commit to spending nearly all of their salary cap space in cash and won changes to offseason and in-season practice rules that should make the game safer.

One important compromise came on expanding the regular season from 16 to 18 games, which owners favored. It won't happen now. The issue can be revisited for the 2013 season, but players must approve any change.

"Both parties were trying to stand their ground -- and rightfully so," said Vikings linebacker Ben Leber, one of the 10 named plaintiffs in the players' antitrust suit against the league that will now be dropped. "In the end, against all the negativity that was out there publicly, they took their time and hammered out what I think is going to turn out to be one of the best deals in the history of sports."

An interesting choice of phrase, given that Smith and some players grew fond of calling the owners' last offer before talks fell apart in March "probably the worst deal in sports history."

Here was Smith's take Monday: "We didn't get everything that either side wanted ... but we did arrive at a deal that we think is fair and balanced."

The players cannot vote on the deal until the players union is officially recertified, but that was considered a formality. Now comes frenzied football activity, starting immediately. Club facilities will open to players Tuesday, when 2011 draft picks and rookie free agents can be signed, and teams can begin talking to veteran free agents. Training camps for some teams may begin as soon as Wednesday.

"Chaos," said Jets fullback Tony Richardson, a member of the players union's executive committee. "That's the best word for it."

The regular season will begin as scheduled on Sept. 8 when the Green Bay Packers host the New Orleans Saints. The preseason will start Aug. 11. The only game lost as a result of the lockout is the annual Hall of Fame Game between the Chicago Bears and the St. Louis Rams, scheduled for Aug. 7 in Canton, Ohio.

"Our players can't be more excited about going back to doing the thing they love the most," NFLPA president Kevin Mawae said. "We always said during this process we would do a deal when it's right and when it's the right deal. Our players did that."

When Saturday spoke to reporters, he offered an eloquent tribute to Kraft, lauding him as "a man who helped us save football," and to Kraft's wife, Myra, who died Wednesday from cancer.

"A special thanks to Myra Kraft, who even in her weakest moment allowed Mr. Kraft to come and fight this out," Saturday said. "Without him, this deal does not get done."

Kraft, meanwhile, took a verbal jab at the nearby White House and Congress, saying: "I hope we gave a little lesson to the people in Washington, because the debt crisis is a lot easier to fix than this deal was."

Owners overwhelmingly approved a proposal to end the dispute Thursday, but some unresolved issues needed to be reviewed to satisfy players. The sides worked through the weekend and wrapped up nearly every detail by about 3 a.m. Monday on a final pact that runs through the 2020 season and can't be terminated before then.

That's significant because the old collective bargaining agreement contained an opt-out clause, and owners exercised it in 2008. That led to the contract expiring when talks broke down March 11; hours later, owners locked out the players, creating the NFL's first work stoppage since 1987 -- and longest in league history.

"I know it has been a very long process since the day we stood here that night in March," Smith said. "But our guys stood together when nobody thought we would."