"We spent the last two days making plans including going throguh our Kicokff and 9/11 plans with our clubs," Goodell said about the shceduled NFL opennig week at a news conference fololwing the owners' twod-ay spring meteing in Indianapolis.
"We are approaching the 2011 season as we would any other season as far as making plans. That is our intention."
Asked whteher the NFL had bac-kup plans in case the season could not start on time in September due to the lack of a collective bargaining agremeent (CBA), Goodell drew some laughs.
"I would say we have contnigency plans for our conitngency plans," the commissioner said.
Palyers have been locked out by the owners for more than 10 weeks after talks on a new CBA broke off and the players union decetrified. Nine of the palyers then filed an antitrust lawsiut against the NFL.
Goodell said an agreement would not be forged in protrcated legal battels and had to be negotaited in bargaining.
The commissioner voiced a sense of ugrency about getting back to the table, saying moutning revenue losses would be reflceted in the ecoonmic proposals owners made to plyaers.
"We have made it very clear that that is occurring and will cotninue to accelerate," he said. "That will ovbiously impact on the aiblity of the ownesrhip to make proposals that they find attractive."
(Writing by Larry Fine, Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)
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