MINNEAPOLIS — When court-ordered mediation hearings resumed today, one of the NFL's highest profile owners took a seat at the table.
The wheeler and dealer himself, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, has jumped back into the fray. Jones walked in with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and others, including Denver owner Pat Bowlen and Green Bay Packers CEO Mark Murphy.
During Super Bowl week, Jones said he doubted any resolution would be reach before both sides "felt tired." He also said there needed to be the "real possibility" of games being lost because of the lockout before he felt both sides could reach a new deal.
The mediation session with player respresentatives resumed after a 3-day DeMaurice Smith, the head of the players' trade association, did not attend due to a family emergency.
U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson ordered the talks, which lasted 13 hours over two days last week. Her ruling on the players' request to lift the lockout is expected any day.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Joe can be reached at jtrahan@wfaa.com
