Goodell: 'We Have Football'
The Philadelphia Daily News - Eagletarian
Goodell: 'We Have Football'
Les Bowen, Daily News Staff Writer
UPDATE:
Eagles players are permitted to report to the NovaCare Complex beginning at 10 am on Tuesday.
The Eagles are set to report to training camp on Wednesday at Lehigh University. Players can check into the dorms beginning at 10 a.m. Coach Andy Reid will address the media at 5.
Training camp will break from Lehigh on August 17, a day before the second preseason game at Pittsburgh.
A full training camp practice schedule, including when camp is open to fans, will be issued no earlier than tomorrow.
EARLIER
NFLPA spokesman George Atallah recently tweeted "It's unanimous," the 21st century equivalent of white smoke from the Vatican chimney. So the NFL lockout, which began the day after talks broke down in Washington March 11, is officially ending there today, with player reps Ok'ing the new agreement.
Shortly after Atallah's tweet, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell appeared in front of the NFLPA HQ on 20th Street in Washington with NFLPA chief DeMaurice Smith, making the agreement official.
"We have football," Goodell said.
The commissioner added that he ewas sorry for the frustration fans have endured over the past four months, but "we've secured the future of the game" with a 10-year collective bargaining agreeement.
Goodell called Smith "a great leader for his players."
New England owner Robert Kraft embraced Colts player rep and executive committee member Jeff Saturday, after Saturday extolled Myra Kraft, the owner's wife, who passed away last week. Saturday noted that she allowed her husband to be a crucial part of getting the deal done, even as she struggled against cancer.
Kraft said the players in the talks looked at the long term, not just at their own interests. He said Congress might profit from that example, as it wrestles with the national debt.
Reports indicate each team will start camp 15 days before its first scheduled preseason game. For the Eagles, who have the earliest possible date of Aug. 11 for their opener, that means Lehigh (gulp!) Wednesday. An Eagles spokesman just said that isn't official, until a 3 p.m. conference call for the teams.
Also apparently, trades can happen tomorrow. That's about all that's certain right now. Stay tuned.
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the next few days are going to be ridiculous. can't wait.— Yehuda- the next few days are going to be ridiculous. can't wait.— Yehuda
- Finally we can get back to football. Already paid the NFL Sunday Ticket in Full and ready for the season. Prior to agreement, I would at least have College Football. Now I'm guaranteed the best of both worlds.— roodaddy99
- Finally we can get back to football. Already paid the NFL Sunday Ticket in Full and ready for the season. Prior to agreement, I would at least have College Football. Now I'm guaranteed the best of both worlds.— roodaddy99
- Who cares.........................— WCJRJR
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- BBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...both chicken sh*t sides blinked...I wanted a knock down, drag out strike...a bunch of monetary wimps— 2ndNlong
- If you don't care, don't read it, change the channel...why do you think they call it dope, dope?— PhillySubsMac
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- Who cares? Obviously you do for commenting here. Who cares? EVERYONE CARES!!!— papabear702
- Leave it to Les Bowen to make a sacreligious remark rather then staying on topic and stating the LOCKOUT ENDS.— BFlint
- a sad day in the world of sports the lockout is over. Football is so over rated— pizzacheeks
- Pizzacheeks your parents conceiving you is over rated.— Breath EZ
- Everyone knew they won't miss the season. Almost a Billion dollars lost if they missed the preseason alone. They all got scared and didn't not want to miss out on the cash.— Don Cornelius
- Damn...I was hoping they'd lose the whole year.— nitzohan
- Good grief, the NFL seems immune to EVERYTHING that might damage any other organization. It is remarkable, and sad, how addicted to the letters NFL so many people seem to be. Anyone who has seen the goings in perfeshinil "sports" over the past number of years knew the NFLPA would CAVE!— BEMiller
- Thank God! I wouldn't want the dog killer to miss a paycheck.— FLYERS LOSERS FOR 37 YEARS!
- You Idiot, this lockout had nothing to do with Vick, take your Ritalin and stay focused on the subject at hand! — phillynupe4
- I have no problem, I'd rather watch soccer (that's real football!).— Pete H
- Reading many of the comments here, and elsewhere, I don't understand
why many of you read the articles. If you hate the subject so much, why are you reading about it?— bill166 - Nice hit Brath EZ! I'm cracking up! LOL! I agree with you too PapaBear!— phillynupe4
Yes, the entire lockout was a political stunt. I realize that there were internal problems between the players' association and the league, but honestly, it should not have taken nearly this long for them to resolve this.- I like Football and I want the Eagles to go to the Superbowl as if this is their year! The NFC is weak and they should have the best Offense but I am worried about the Defense not being able to stop the run nor the pass.
You need to get Haynesworth from Washington and tell him that if he starts that nonsense in Philly that you going to drop his behind off on North Broad Street and he will have to run his big behind all the way back to the stadium which we know he won't make it.
Get a Defense and go to the Superbowl and you cannot keep relying on outscoring your opponent! Go Eagles!— run2jazz2 - wooo hooo! 10-6 and in/out of the playoffs again here we come!— uandwhosearmy
- Gentlemen: Start Your Engines!— M60tanker
- So basically the lockout was just a bunch of sound and fury, signifying nothing. There was no way the owners and players were ever going to risk losing a dime - even from meaningless preseason games.— phillydude
- The nickels BS is old— jdld610
- Let the crippling concussions and leg injuries begin!— bobcitydoc
- WHO CARES. WHAT IS GOING TO CHANGE. NOTHING. REID IS STILL FAT, BANNER STILL HAS COFFEE STAINED TEETH, HOWIE ROSEBUD IS STILL LOST, AND JEFF LURIE HAS GREAT HAIR, AND MOST IMPORTANT, NO SUPER BOWL!— Pete60
