NEW YORK, March 2 (UPI) -- National Football League owners unanimously voted Thursday to discontinue talks with the NFL Players' Union on a labor contract extension.
With no deal in sight, many players may be cut by many teams over the $94.5 million salary cap for the upcoming season. The two sides met Thursday in a last-ditch effort on a new contract but remained far apart financially.
The deadline to extend the current Collective Bargaining Agreement ends at 12:01 a.m. EST Friday, the first day of the free-agency period.
"It's as dire as dire can be," NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said during a news conference.
The current contract runs through the 2007 season, but with the salary cap expiring after the 2006 campaign, a new agreement is essential.
Gene Upshaw, the NFL Players Association executive director, says players would not agree to a salary cap again if a deal is not reached.
