ESPN has upped the language and certainty of their report that says the process to end the lockout will start with a vote Monday.
No longer is a meeting between the NFLPA* executive committee “expected.” Now the players have bought tickets and are flying in Sunday for a Monday meeting.
No longer are there a few minor points left to figure out. Adam Schefter reports the two sides “have reached agreement” on the remaining issues.
“Despite the fact the new deal will require a majority vote from the players, that part of the deal between the two sides is considered a formality, according to sources,” Schefter writes.
The timeline we laid out last night remains. While it’s not official, some teams could potentially report to their team facilities Wednesday. The two sides would hope to have enough players officially vote to open free agency and training camp next Saturday. These dates remain subject to tweaking, but the report of an agreement apparently does not.
Either this is one of the biggest gaffes in sports journalism history or this thing is really going down Monday.