Players decide not to vote on labor deal today

More than four months of labor battles could come to a head Thursday.

That is because the 32 NFL players representatives – meeting today in Washington to review details of the tentative collective bargaining agreement the sides have crafted – will not vote on the deal today.

NFL.com reports that the players meeting broke up this afternoon without the CBA being put to a vote. That means the players could vote on the matter Thursday when NFL owners will be in Atlanta, presumably ready to ratify the deal.

While some suggested the deal would be rubber stamped by player reps today, that wasn’t the case. Whether there are some real issues that are concerning to players or if it was just too much to digest in one day, who knows? Maybe the players want to put a little pressure on the owners for one more day.

The players have said they will not rush through the process just to push a deal through.

Our goal today is to see what's on the table," NFLPA president Kevin Mawae said. "Make no mistake, the players are not in a rush and are not tied to the timeline of July 21 (Thursday). Our timeline is the timeline that gets the best deal for the players.

"Whether it's today or tomorrow, we're not going to agree to any deal unless it's the right deal.”

Owners began meeting in Atlanta today and the full group will be present for their official meeting Thursday. There’s nothing to make you believe a deal isn’t coming soon, but they’re going to the last minute of the final hour to make it happen.

Follow me on Twitter: @BradBiggs

Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune

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