Kevin Mawae Brushes Off July 21st Lockout End Date

You guys are probably bored of reading my rants about this. I've done it here, I've done it in the Washington Post, I've done it on twitter... But it really bugs me that the media continually seems to report a new end date for the lockout that ends up being meaningless and untrue and then they never acknowledge it.

The latest "end date" was supposed to be tomorrow. That was the day the owners were going to meet in Atlanta to ratify the deal. That's what all the "sources" claimed. However, today, the NFLPA president Kevin Mawae said that July 21st was never a deadline for them.

"Our goal today is to see what is on the table and discuss outlying issues," Mawae said. "The players are not tied to a July 21 timeline. Our timeline is that which gives us the best deal for the players—today, tomorrow or whatever it might be."

"We want to go back to work," Mawae said Wednesday outside NFLPA headquarters, "but we will not agree to a deal unless it’s the best deal for the players."

So while it still remains a possibility that both sides end up approving the new deal tomorrow, this is yet more proof that these reports of the day the lockout will end are nothing more than teases to keep fans on the edge of their seats. That annoys me.