The first casualty of the lockout, which has been mired in the courts since March 12, was seen this week as the NFL cancelled its annual rookie symposium. The symposium, which was scheduled for June 26, offers rookie players advice on issues such as money management and life skills and gives them a chance to meet current and former players.
A hearing at the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals on June 3 is set to determine the validity of the lockout, but Goodell admitted the prospect of losing preseason games is forthcoming.
"We don't have a date, but obviously that time is arriving," he said, speaking at the conclusion of the team owners’ spring meetings."We are getting close enough where those will have to be considerations. But obviously we would prefer to reach a negotiated agreement so we don't have to make those decisions."
The NFL’s preseason is scheduled to kick off on August 7, with the regular season scheduled for September 8. Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay had earlier stated that a labour deal must be reached by July 4 to avoid raising question marks over the regular season and warned of the effects of game cancellations. He told the Associated Press: "If you miss those preseason games, or a game or two (of the regular schedule), or start late, you have lost significant money, in excess of $1 billion."
Meanwhile, Goodell admits the lockout is having an effect on the NFL’s status as America’s most popular sport. He added: “I think it’s clearly had an impact on our fans already. You see that in the various metrics we have, whether it’s ratings or traffic on NFL.com — we see that. For example, I think you all are aware that our (TV) ratings were down in the draft.”
