NFL commissioner, union boss sign new deal

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and players union executive director DeMaurice Smith signed the new collective bargaining agreement approved by players and owners on Friday to officially end a dispute. The 10-year deal, a 300-page tome hammered out over four months of talks after a lockout began last March, was signed on the steps of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where induction ceremonies will be staged this weekend. A traditional pre-season exhibition game to have been played in Canton on Sunday was the only game wiped out by the squabble between billionaire club owners and multi-millionaire players over how to divide $9.3 billion in annual revenues from the most popular US spectator sport. "We're all relieved because football is back," Goodell said. "That's what our fans want, and that's what we all want and we're thrilled that we got it done." Goodell said he hoped there would be no lingering animosity as a result of the divide, which had resulted in a federal anti-trust lawsuit against owners by players, one negated by the settlement. "There was a tremendous amount of respect and an attempt to find solutions," Goodell said. "Once we understood each other and we understood that that was what we were there for, we got it done. "I think the most important thing is always listen to one another and find solutions. One of the things I think we understand is that we're better off working together."