Steelers' Art Rooney: NFL labor deal will come, but timetable can't be predicted

[Omaha Steve]

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2010/11/steelers-art-rooney-nfl-labor-deal-will-come-but-timetable-cant-be-predicted/1

Nov 21, 2010

The specter of a potential NFL lockout is still very real -- with even one of the league's most influential owners publicly discussing it.

Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II said that while he knows the league will eventually reach a new labor agreement with the NFLPA, he can't venture a guess as to when it might happen.

"I'm not going to predict any real time frame to it because I do think we have a long way to go, but I certainly think we'll get there," Rooney told Fox Sports. "I hope we get there before we get to any type of a lockout. That remains to be seen."

The league is engaged in contentious talks about the CBA that expires in early March. NFLPA chief DeMaurice Smith has insisted that league owners want to lock out the players, although commissioner Roger Goodell has denied that.

In October, Patriots owner Robert Kraft said it was realistic to think both sides could reach a deal by the end of the season.

-- Sean Leahy