INDIANAPOLIS -- Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson has been omnipresent this offseason, as the labor situation brews and the lockout extends into its third month.
And while he seems satisfied with how the NFL Spring Meeting has gone the last two days, Richardson doesn't see a resolution to the strife on the immediate horizon.
Like most others, the labor committee co-chairman sees the process next going to the June 3 hearing on the lockout injunction appeal in St. Louis, and he hopes the subsequent ruling can push things along. All of that -- and everything else labor-related -- has been on the table at these meetings.
"I can speak for the owners -- we had a very productive day yesterday," Richardson said Wednesday. "Pretty much, the day was spent discussing labor -- there were some playing rule discussions, too -- but I think we know what our options are. And we're in a waiting mode. I think we all need to see what's going to happen in July (when a ruling is expected). And then we'll go from there."
Despite being in waiting mode, Richardson took exception with the idea that the owners aren't in any particular rush to get something done. Richardson has been a part of every court-ordered mediation session -- six in all -- in Minneapolis.
"I think there's been a sense of urgency on our part, starting two years ago," Richardson said. "There's always been a sense of urgency. It makes no sense what we're doing now. We aren't even negotiating."
