Owners Approve Deal to End Lockout; Players Balk

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By PAUL NEWBERRY

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) - NFL owners chatted much of the day, polished off a couple of meals, then overwhelmingly approved a deal to end the lockout.

Only one problem: The players aren't ready to join them at the table just yet.

So America's most popular sport remains in labor limbo a bit longer.

The owners voted 31-0 Thursday for a decade-long deal to settle the impasse, but any giddiness among fans was quickly snuffed out. The players declined to vote on the proposal, at least right away, and a rash of Twitter messages left little doubt that plenty of work remains before there's any blocking and tackling.

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