The players and owners took one significant step towards ending the 2011 NFL Lockout as the owners voted to ratify the settlement proposal. The players are scheduled to engage in a 5:00pm pacific conference call and it remains to be seen whether they will approve this settlement. Prior to the vote there was a 75 minute delay as DeMaurice Smith and Roger Goodell spoke by phone in attempts to move forward the NFLPA's attempts at recertification.
↵The highlight of the owner's vote has to be the final tally. The league voted 31-0 to ratify the proposed settlement. It should surprise absolutely no one that the one team to abstain from the vote was the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders may have some very specific reasons, or it could simply be one more public stand by the always cantankerous Al Davis. The team has always maintained a renegade image so really this could just be the Raiders being the Raiders.