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NEW YORK – Two weeks before a potential lockout, the NFL and its players' organization are asking for support in their stalled negotiations.

Both sides united weekday to intercession as they handle a newborn collective bargaining agreement. The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, an autarkical U.S. polity agency, module administer talks in pedagogue first Friday.

After retentive removed discussions with representatives from the association and the union, FMCS director martyr H. Cohen said both sides united to hit the authority mediate. Mediation is not binding.

"Any instance that both sides of negotiations crapper intend together, whether finished conventional effectuation of bargaining or mediation, to become to an commendation that crapper goodness all parties, it is a beatific thing," NFLPA president Kevin Mawae told The Associated Press in an e-mail.

Negotiations poor downbound terminal week, leading to the cancellation of digit planned session. The players are expecting the owners to lock them discover if the CBA expires on March 3 without a newborn agreement.

"Due to the extreme sense of these negotiations and consistent with the FMCS's long-standing practice, the authority module chorus from some open interpret concerning the forthcoming schedule and/or the position of those negotiations until boost notice," Cohen said.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told The Associated Press in an e-mail: "We are today in mediation."

The association also switched an owners gathering from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on March 3, to Chantilly, Va., on March 2-3.

In a statement, NFLPA spokesman martyr Atallah said: "The NFLPA has ever convergent on a fair collective bargaining commendation finished negotiations. We hope that this renewed effort, finished mediation, module support the players and owners reach a successful deal."

Cohen said in a statement that the negotiations module be conducted "under my auspices." He is no intruder to sports mediation. He was participating in Major League Soccer talks with its players' organization and a work stoppage was avoided terminal year.

Cohen also has worked with the players' associations for Major League Baseball, serving modify the 1994-95 accomplish as a consulting attorney, and the NBA, and was an advisor to the NHL players' organization before connexion the FMCS.

The FMCS website says it "provides free intercession services in contract negotiation disputes between employers and their unionized employees. All the parties hit to do is attain a request."

The FMCS also became participating in negotiations during the 2004-05 NHL lockout, and a 2005 disagreement between the U.S. Soccer Federation and its players.

"Our authority director module be working with the parties to assist them in achievement a voluntary, mutually unexceptionable agreement," FMCS open concern director Evangelist Arnold said in a ring interview.

News of intercession could be a constructive clew after several months of occasional negotiations. It also comes only life after the NFL filed an dirty labor training calculate against the NFLPA with the National Labor Relations Board. Monday's filing said the organization "consistently has unsuccessful to present in beatific faith" during negotiations for a newborn contract and the union's "conduct amounts to surface bargaining and an anticipatory refusal to bargain."

Aiello told the AP the intercession would not hit an gist on the NLRB complaint.

Indianapolis Colts someone Jim Irsay recalled the terminal CBA negotiations in 2006, a care the owners opted discover of in 2008.

"Since the terminal time, things hit broken soured and guys hit gone their removed ways," Irsay said Thursday. "I remember that happened the terminal instance and (then-commissioner) Apostle Tagliabue ended up texting (union chief) Gene Upshaw and said, `Why don't we intend back together.' So you never know when something constructive crapper hap and something beatific crapper intend done.

"I don't hit a brawny anticipation something module intend finished before (March 3), but I conceive it's possible."

The large supply separating the sides is how to cypher most $9 billion in period revenues. Among the other momentous points in negotiations: the owners' push to modify the lawful flavour from 16 games to 18 while reducing the preseason by digit games; a rookie remuneration scale; and benefits for old players.

"Our eventual goal is a newborn CBA," Atallah wrote weekday on his Twitter feed. "I module not handle some info most the incoming ordered of negotiations. We are perceptive a strict media blackout."

Some players, however, were commenting moments after the announcement.

"NFL and NFLPA agreeing to meet with a federal mediator is a actual constructive step," Vikings face Bryant McKinnie said on his Twitter account. "Let's wager if he crapper intend them to attain actual progress."

Added contestant agent histrion Rosenhaus: "Exciting news to wager the NFLPA & the Owners conversation again finished the intercession impact — a arable travel in the right direction!"

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AP Pro Football Writer Howard Fendrich in pedagogue and Sports Writer Richard Rosenblatt in New York contributed to this report.

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