Jeff Pash: 'I think it's probably aggressive to think it can be done tomorrow'

Downplaying the impact of the NFL Players Association not voting today on a proposed new collective bargaining agreement, NFL chief negotiator Jeff Pash says it will be tough to hammer out a ratified labor deal by Thursday.

“I think it’s probably aggressive to think that it can be done tomorrow, but it could be done in a relatively short period of time, we think," the NFL executive vice president told reporters today at the league meetings in Atlanta.

That said, Pash said the plan is to have both sides vote as soon as Thursday.

“Absolutely," he said. "At some point.”

Pash said that the labor committee met today for roughly five hours.

"We had a very thorough review of the status of the negotiations, of the underlying legal issues, of the economics of the proposed agreement and where we stand in terms of our own process and what we see going forward," Pash said. "It was a very thorough discussion. I think the committee is fully briefed and we are prepared to review these matters with the ownership tomorrow morning when we get together at around 10 a.m."

Meanwhile, Pash said the players not voting won't affect the league's approach.

“It doesn’t impact it at all," he said. "We’re going to continue to work with the players. We’ll find out if there are issues that still need to be negotiated and we’re going to work cooperatively with them through the evening and try to have something in place that both sides can vote on tomorrow morning.”

When asked if the NFL can ratify an agreement if the players haven't voted, Pash replied affirmatively.

“Ratification is an independent process by each side, just as they could ratify something if we haven’t voted," he said. "So, I assume we could do so.”

Does the union need to recertify for there to be a labor deal? Not necessarily.

“No," Pash said. "We would expect that this will be a comprehensive labor agreement though before all is said and done.”

Pash said he's cautiously optimistic about getting the deal done.

“It’s cautious, but I think we’re making progress," he said. "I think we’ve worked well together over the past several weeks. The staffs and the attorneys have been making a lot of progress on the documentation and the language issues. It’s obviously a complicated agreement, but I think both sides are at the point where they can close, they should close and we should be in a position to take votes.”

Pash declined to speculate on why the players haven't voted yet.

“I can’t speak for what was going on in their caucus, but it’s a long, complicated agreement and there are a lot of issues," he said. "We’re talking about entering into an agreement that would last for quite a few years, hopefully bring a lot of stability to our relationship for many years to come and understandably that is something that people want to take their time and think through.”

As far as the league is concerned, the antitrust lawsuit that hasn't been settled isn't going to hold things back.

"I don’t think that’s likely to happen," Pash said when asked if there would be a labor deal without settling the lawsuit. "I think we’re going to have an agreement that all clubs will be a part of and that all players will be a part of. That’s my expectation.”

And Pash said that the goal is for a global settlement.

“All of the litigation goes away," he said. "I think that’s the healthy outcome is to have a complete, comprehensive, global agreement that settles all of the disputes and puts us on a path where we’re going forward together as business partners the way it should be. Rather than we’re going forward with one hand and fighting over something that should be in the past.”

Pash said the league isn't giving up on holding the Hall of Fame game, but it's going to be tough with time running short.

“I hope so," he said. "We’ll see. It’s getting tight. It’s getting pretty tight. It would be pretty challenging so that is one of the things we’ll have to focus on.”

Pash said the league is working on how things would unfold once a deal is reached.

“We’ve been talking about what a calendar would look like for resuming: when players would come in, when the new league year would open and when free agency would start," he said. "Obviously all of that is going to depend on what schedule there is for ratifying the agreement and making sure that all of the steps that have to take place before the new league year can begin have in fact occurred.”

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Aaron Wilson covers the Ravnes for the Carroll County Times