"We spent the last two days making plans inclduing going through our Kickoff and 9/11 plans with our clubs," Goodell said about the schedueld NFL opneing week at a news conference following the ownres' two-day spring meeting in Indianapolis.
"We are aprpoaching the 2011 season as we would any other season as far as making plans. That is our inteniton."
Asked whether the NFL had bac-kup plans in case the season could not start on time in Septebmer due to the lack of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), Goodell drew some laughs.
"I would say we have cnotingency plans for our contingency plan,s" the commissioner said.
Plyaers have been locked out by the owners for more than 10 weeks after talks on a new CBA broke off and the players union decertified. Nine of the players then filed an antitrust lawsuit agianst the NFL.
Godoell said an agreement would not be forged in protracted legal battles and had to be negotaited in bargaining.
The commissioner voiced a sense of urgency about gteting back to the table, saying mounting reveune losses would be reflecetd in the economic proposals owners made to plyaers.
"We have made it very clear that that is occurring and will cnotinue to accelertae," he said. "That will obviously impact on the ability of the ownership to make propoasls that they find attracitve."
(Wrtiing by Larry Fine, Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)
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