The fastest way to a fair agreement is for both the union and the clubs to continue the mediation process. Unfortunately, the players’ union notified our office at 4pm ET on Friday that it had “decertified” and walked away from mediation and collective bargaining to initiate the antitrust litigation it has been threatening to file. In an effort to get a fair agreement now, the clubs offered a deal that would have had no adverse financial impact upon veteran players in the early years and would meet the players’ financial demands in the latter years.

Opening Statement:
“Good morning and welcome to everybody to Super Bowl XLIV. We’re thrilled to have you here. I hope you all have had a good week. It was somewhat of a unique week in the NFL, by having the Pro Bowl here early in the week and then topping it off with the Super Bowl this weekend. It has been a great week for us, and we thank the people here in South Florida for their hospitality and their support. Thank you very much. And of course, congratulations to the Saints and the Colts for qualifying for Super Bowl XLIV. We have two great teams and are looking forward to a great game.

(Eisen) What are your thoughts on the Pro Bowl leading up to the Super Bowl, and what is the league thinking about it?

We want to wait and see what happens at the end of the event. So far it has been a great success. We have a sold out stadium, we have more people attending this year’s Pro Bowl than we have in 50 years.