NFL Owners Approve Deal, Raiders Don't

Leave it to the Oakland Raiders to march to the beat of their own drum.

NFL owners overwhelmingly voted in favor of a tentative agreement to end lockout of players.  Now the deal must be approved by the players, which could happen as early as Thursday evening.

Owners approved the deal 31-0, with the Oakland Raiders being the sole team abstaining from a vote.

Thursday's ratification came after a full day of meetings at an Atlanta-area hotel, where team executives pored over the terms of the deal.

Players still have to sign off on the deal. They didn't vote on a full pact Wednesday because there were issues that had not been resolved. They plan to have a conference call later Thursday.

The four-month lockout is the NFL's first work stoppage since 1987.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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