The NFL Players Association on Thursday night made several indications that they were not going to move on the owners' time line. The owners had voted on a proposal, one of the steps needed to end the lockout, but the players need to accept the proposal and re-certify as a union before the lockout can end.
A day later, the players made that clear as they decided to spend the weekend reviewing the owners' proposal. In an email to players, they said that they will meet again on Monday to figure out their course of action.
This will put a kink in the time line that the owners proposed. The owners were hoping to open team facilities by Saturday and free agency by Wednesday. The Bears were thinking that training camp would start in Bourbonnais by Wednesday, as well.
The players have every right to look at the proposal, especially considering that they allege that the proposal contains items that weren't negotiated. Bears backup QB Caleb Hanie, who tweeted last night that he would say yes to any proposal, walked back that statement today. "I'll vote yes to deal put in front of me by OUR PLAYER REPS. BC they wouldn't put a BS deal in front of me," he tweeted. "Apparently the owners added stuff that hasn't been discussed with players...c'mon seriously? They should know better..."
His remarks show that the players are united and that they trust their player reps. Though they want to get back to football, they're not going to do it until they know that the deal they're accepting is fair.
