National Football League

Goodell, Smith seen dining together

Published Jun. 9, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

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In another very hopeful sign for the ongoing NFL labor dispute, league commissioner Roger Goodell and union chief DeMaurice Smith reportedly met for a private dinner Wednesday night in New York City, the New York Post reported Thursday.

Sources confirmed to the Post the dinner lasted nearly two hours.

The secret and highly unusual sit-down took place at a Manhattan restaurant just hours after the two leaders were involved in another round of closed-door talks between negotiating parties on Long Island.

Those talks, combined with what a witness said was "a very jovial dinner" between Goodell and Smith, are prompting optimism that the league's three-month labor dispute could soon end before any games or training-camp time are lost.

A league spokesman declined comment on the private dinner. The decertified union did not respond to messages.

Sources have described the recent negotiations between the league and players union as "very serious," according to NFL.com.

The two sides are reportedly working to build on three days of negotiations held in suburban Chicago last week, but have refused to divulge any details of the discussions, or whether significant progress has been made.

"Both sides are working hard to reach an agreement. That's a positive step for everybody," Goodell said Wednesday on a conference call with Buccaneers season-ticket holders, his 19th such conference call of the offseason.

Attorneys for the two sides appeared before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis last Friday for arguments on the NFL's appeal of a federal judge's ruling that invalidated the lockout in late April.

The appeals court quickly granted a stay on that ruling, reinstating the lockout pending the appeal.

At Friday's hearing, one of the three appellate judges urged the sides to return to the bargaining table and settle the dispute, predicting neither side would be satisfied with the court's eventual decision.

A ruling is not expected for weeks.

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