NFL, players meet in Boston

BOSTON, June 22 (UPI) -- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league and players, stuck in a long labor stalemate, "have a lot of work to do and we've got to do it right."

Goodell, other league officials and several owners will meet for two days in Boston with representatives for locked-out players.

A resolution to the nearly 15-week-old impasse may not be close but potential parameters of a framework for a new collective bargaining agreement may emerge during the meetings beginning Wednesday, USA Today reported.

National Football League owners were briefed on the status of negotiations Tuesday.

"We have a lot of work to do and we've got to do it right," Goodell said. "The agreement has to focus on several issues and the issues are complex. It must be done in a way that is fair to the players and a way that is fair to the clubs."

Chief among the issues is how much of the league's $9 billion revenue will be distributed to the players, USA Today said. Under the previous agreement, players received 59.6 percent of "designated revenues" after the owners took $1 billion for operating expenses and such. Moving forward, the players could get about 48 percent.

Free agency eligibility also remains an issue, the newspaper said. In 2009, a player with an expired contract needed a minimum of four years of NFL service before he could enter the open market. In 2010, a player needed six years when the final year of the former collective bargaining agreement activated dissolution of the salary cap.

Officials said discussions also could include season-length, television considerations, health benefits, drug testing and the rookie wage scale.