Owners Opt Out of Labor Agreement

ATLANTA — NFL owners voted unanimously yesterday to end their labor agreement with the players' union in 2011. The league and union, however, insisted the next three seasons won't be interrupted by a contract dispute and both sides are working toward a new deal.

"We have guaranteed three more years of NFL football," commissioner Roger Goodell said after the owners used the opt-out clause built into the agreement signed more than two years ago. "We are not in dire straits. We've never said that. But the agreement isn't working, and we're looking to get a more fair an equitable deal."

The decision by the owners was anticipated, although not this early. The 2006 agreement allowed either side to negate the contract by November 8. Godell said the owners acted early "to get talks rolling."

"I don't think it was a shock to anyone," said Gene Upshaw, executive director of the NFL Players Association.

"All this means is that we will have football now until 2010 and not until 2012," Upshaw added during a conference call. "We will move ahead. This just starts the clock ticking. If we can't reach agreement by 2010, then we go to no man's land, which is 2011."

The agreement signed two years ago was to last until 2013 with the option to terminate in 2011, which is what the owners did yesterday. League officials and owners have been saying for almost a year that while the previous contract may have been too beneficial to the owners, the current one had swung too far toward the players.