With time running short, NFL owners, players resume talks

NEW YORK -- With time running short to keep the NFL's preseason completely intact, owners and player representatives met Thursday at a Manhattan law firm to try and overcome the remaining obstacles to ending the fourth-month-long lockout.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and eight of the 10 members of the owners' labor committee were present for the talks, including Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys and John Mara of the New York Giants. Two new participants Thursday were Green Bay Packers CEO Mark Murphy and San Diego Chargers owner Dean Spanos.

NFL Players Association chief DeMaurice Smith and a half-dozen current or former players, including Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday and Baltimore Ravens defensive back Domonique Foxworth, were there, too.

The NFL locked out players in March, after negotiations broke down and the old collective bargaining agreement expired, and now the preseason is fast approaching. With each passing day, the need to arrive at a deal to end the NFL's first work stoppage since 1987 becomes greater.

The Hall of Fame game that opens the exhibition season is scheduled for Aug. 7 between the St. Louis Rams and Chicago Bears, who hope to be able to start training camp at the end of next week. Yet camps will not open without a new CBA in place.

Talks gained steam in May, overseen by a court-appointed mediator, U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan, who is on vacation this week. Boylan ordered both sides to meet with him in Minneapolis next week, and the owners have a special meeting set for July 21 in Atlanta, where they potentially could ratify a new deal - if one is reached by then.

Even once an agreement in principle on the core economic issues is drawn up, there will be more work to be done. That's because there are certain issues that won't be addressed in full until after the NFLPA re-establishes itself as a union -- a process that might take a couple of days - and can then serve once again as a collective bargaining unit for the players.

Items that could fall under that umbrella include the league's drug-testing program, health insurance, retired players' pensions and other benefits, none of which is likely to be resolved completely while the union is still dissolved.

There's also a chance the players could pursue a lockout injunction for rookies and free agents after an appeals court ruled last week that the work stoppage could continue.

Disruptions to the planned preseason schedule would decrease the overall revenue pie. While the parameters for how to divide the more than $9 billion in annual league revenues have been sketched out, there are other sticking points still under discussion, including a rookie salary system and free agency guidelines.

The owners want longer rookie contracts and have been seeking more right-of-first-refusal tags for unrestricted free agents. The players want to get back to free agency rules similar to 2009, when a four-year veteran whose contract expired was unrestricted. That minimum shifted to six years in 2010, when there was no salary cap because owners already had declared they were opting out of the old CBA.

This week's talks in New York began Monday with two days of meetings involving primarily lawyers. Wednesday's face-to-face session was attended by Goodell, Smith, owners and players went nearly 11 hours.

As Wednesday's meeting was beginning, star quarterbacks Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees -- plaintiffs in the players' antitrust suit against the NFL -- issued a joint statement saying "it is time" to wrap up negotiations.

"We believe the overall proposal made by the players is fair for both sides and it is time to get this deal done," they said. "This is the time of year we as players turn our attention to the game on the field. We hope the owners feel the same way."

In response, the NFL issued a statement saying: "We share the view that now is the time to reach an agreement so we can all get back to football and a full 2011 season. We are working hard with the players' negotiating team every day to complete an agreement as soon as possible."

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Lawsuit plaintiffs Brady, Manning, Brees say it's time for NFL deal

NEW YORK -- Calling the players' offer "fair for both sides," star quarterbacks Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees -- plaintiffs in an antitrust suit against the NFL -- said Wednesday "it is time" to wrap up negotiations on a deal to end the league's lockout.

At the bargaining table, though, it wasn't that easy.

On the day Brady, Manning and Brees spoke as a group publicly for the first time, players and owners spent nearly 11 hours meeting at a Manhattan law office.

About two hours after players' association chief DeMaurice Smith left, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell walked out with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and the league's lead negotiator Jeff Pash at 10 p.m.

Other owners including Pittsburgh's Art Rooney and Carolina's Jerry Richardson departed around then, too.

Negotiations were scheduled to resume Thursday morning. With each passing day, the need to strike a bargain and end the first NFL work stoppage since 1987 becomes greater.

Deadlines are coming up next week to get training camps and the preseason started on time. Although it seems the sides have agreed on the basic elements of how to split more than $9 billion in annual revenues, among the key sticking points recently have been how to structure a new rookie salary system and what free agency will look like.

In a statement released to the Associated Press via the NFL Players Association, New England's Brady, Indianapolis' Manning and New Orleans' Brees said: "We believe the overall proposal made by the players is fair for both sides and it is time to get this deal done."

They continued: "This is the time of year we as players turn our attention to the game on the field. We hope the owners feel the same way."

In response, the NFL issued a statement saying: "We share the view that now is the time to reach an agreement so we can all get back to football and a full 2011 season. We are working hard with the players' negotiating team every day to complete an agreement as soon as possible."

Brady, Manning and Brees are among 10 players who are named plaintiffs in an antitrust suit that is pending in federal court in Minnesota. That class-action lawsuit was filed March 11, hours after federally mediated negotiations to arrive at a new collective bargaining agreement broke down, and the old labor contract expired. The NFLPA immediately dissolved itself, meaning players no longer were protected under labor law but instead were allowed to take their chances under antitrust law.

On March 12, the owners imposed a lockout on the players, a right management has to shut down a business when a CBA expires. During the lockout, there can be no communication between the teams and current NFL players; no players -- including those drafted in April -- can be signed; teams won't pay for players' health insurance.

A series of court rulings followed, including one last week from an appeals court that said the lockout could continue.

Talks gained steam in May, overseen by a court-appointed mediator, U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan, who is on vacation this week. Boylan ordered both sides to speak with him in Minneapolis next Tuesday, and the owners have a special meeting set for July 21 in Atlanta, where they could vote to ratify a new deal if one is reached.

That means there's intense pressure on Smith and Goodell to keep things moving in a positive direction. Disruptions to the planned preseason schedule would decrease the overall revenue pie.

In an added complication, a federal judge has set an Aug. 8 hearing for NFL retirees, who claimed Wednesday that the league and NFLPA "have conspired" to set low retiree benefit and pension payments in the negotiations. The retirees also say they have been illegally and intentionally excluded from the talks.

Smith and Goodell were joined at Wednesday's meeting by a half-dozen team owners: Jones, Rooney, Richardson, Robert Kraft of the New England Patriots, John Mara of the New York Giants and Clark Hunt of the Kansas City Chiefs.

On the players' side were Jeff Saturday of the Indianapolis Colts and Tyson Clabo of the Atlanta Falcons.

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NFL owners and players still face time-consuming obstacles

NEW YORK -- Think back four months to that disappointing day in March when the NFL lockout began. The general opinion was the owners and players would reach a new labor agreement long before training camps opened.

They had plenty of time and about 9 billion reasons to get it done.

Well, some training camps open at the end of next week, and the two sides have not yet gotten it done. Yes, they are closer than ever, with several key issues -- particularly how to split more than $9 billion in revenues -- just about settled.

But there is serious doubt that a disruption to the preseason can be avoided. Although the regular season still appears safe, the situation isn't as simple as shaking hands and going back to business as usual, even assuming owners and players patched everything up when face-to-face talks resume Wednesday -- an unlikely scenario.

Once an agreement in principle on the core economic issues is drawn up, there will be more work to be done. That's because there are certain issues that won't be addressed in full until after the NFLPA re-establishes itself as a union -- a process that might take a couple of days -- and can then serve once again as a collective bargaining unit for the players.

Items that could fall under that umbrella include the league's drug-testing program, health insurance, retired players' pensions and other benefits -- none of which is likely to be resolved completely while the union is still dissolved.

Yet without a collective bargaining agreement in place soon, many teams will need to delay training camp. The New York Giants and Jets and Baltimore Ravens already have canceled out-of-town camps and will do all their preseason work at their home facilities, at a significant cost to the communities where they normally would have gone.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions will go on as scheduled on Aug. 6. But the game the following day between the St. Louis Rams and Chicago Bears is in jeopardy, which certainly would put a damper on the festivities.

And with owners and players haggling over the rookie wage scale, guidelines for free agency and how benefits for retired players will be funded, the next few days are critical. Should the differences remain strong and prevent a timely deal, the first full weekend of preseason games could be canceled -- at a cost upward of $60 million.

Even when an agreement is reached, it needs to be ratified by players and owners, a potentially time-consuming process.

There are a few court cases that must be resolved, including the antitrust lawsuit brought against the league by Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and seven other players. Those plaintiffs were updated by the NFLPA on a conference call Tuesday.

There's even a chance the players still could pursue a lockout injunction for rookies and free agents after an appeals court ruled last week that the work stoppage could continue.

It might seem odd that the two sides are so close on sharing revenues, the most contentious issue back in March, yet are being held up by other topics. But the owners have been seeking more right-of-first-refusal tags for unrestricted free agents, and they want a rookie salary system to extend about halfway into the first round of the draft. They also seek longer rookie contracts for first-rounders.

The players are adamant about getting back to free agency rules similar to 2009, when a four-year veteran whose contract expired was unrestricted. That changed to six years in 2010 because there was no salary cap.

Extensive talks last week produced little progress on either issue. While attorneys for both sides spent the last two days clarifying language for a potential CBA, the owners and players will be discussing those same subjects again Wednesday.

Those negotiations do not include the mediator, U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan, who is on vacation this week. Boylan has ordered both sides to a meeting in Minneapolis next Tuesday, and the owners have a special meeting set for July 21 in Atlanta, where they could vote to ratify a new deal if one is reached.

That means there's intense pressure on Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA chief DeMaurice Smith to keep things moving in a positive direction. Disruptions to the planned preseason schedule cost money, decreasing the overall revenue pie.

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Death of mover-and-shaker Mackey touched with irony

He was all about irony was John Mackey, a big man with a booming but even voice of reason, a Hall of Fame tight end whose career created so many brilliant recollections for others, but exploits he could barely recall himself over the past decade.

So it's somewhat ironic that, on the day when Mackey passed away from the frontal temporal dementia that ravaged his memory for 10 years, a prominent element of the ongoing collective bargaining negotiations is the matter of improved benefits for the players who built the game into the preeminent force of the present. For all of his tremendous exploits on the field, a resume that earned him a niche in Canton in 1992, Mackey should be perhaps most celebrated for the notable leadership that he exhibited in improving the lot of players off the field as well.

The first president of the NFLPA, serving in a relatively thankless undertaking in the post-merger NFL created by once-warring leagues, Mackey seemed to understand early on that football was only a fleeting part of what defined a man. What defined John Mackey, a man this columnist only met once, were not only touchdowns but also touchstones.

And a sense that, while players were often regarded in a less than flattering light during much of his career, the pursuits of professional athletes were dignified and honest ones.

Several people on Thursday mentioned that Mackey was probably delayed from his Hall of Fame inclusion because of his union activities and his proactive stance. But Mackey, only the second pure tight end enshrined, never publicly complained about the perceived slight.

In a conversation last season with Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez -- the career leader in receptions at his position and a man who will someday join Mackey in Canton -- Gonzalez cited Mackey as "the man who created the position."

But he was so much more than just a player.

At 224 pounds, Mackey, a bullish runner after the catch, was viewed as gargantuan. Nearly 40 years after his last appearance, the game and position have advanced so much that Mackey these days might be a possession-type wide receiver. Still, he remains a giant.

Mackey was the NFLPA president at a time when the players didn't earn nearly the salaries they do now -- one of his several obituaries on Thursday pointed out that his total career pay was probably less than a long-snapper makes in one season now -- but also didn't enjoy many basic rights. There's an old story, repeated by Mackey on several occasions, that before the union, the equipment man would come into the locker room and advise players they could change T-shirts. The punch-line: The quarterback could change with the wide receiver, the guard could change with the tackle, and so on.

John Mackey, a Hall of Fame tight end, was the first president of the NFLPA. (AP) OK, so things probably weren't quite that bad. No matter. Mackey made things a lot better. As the "88 Plan," named in his honor and a tribute to a uniform number he wore throughout his career, emphasized, his efforts hardly stopped with his retirement after the 1972 season.

The "88 Plan," the result of a poignant letter from Mackey's wife, Sylvia, to then-NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue toward the end of his tenure, and a cause championed by Roger Goodell, pays $88,000 yearly toward the care of players who have suffered dementia or similar illnesses if they are in an assisted facility and $50,000 if care is done at home. In a league where it appears that the NFL and NFLPA bicker over the financial contribution that should be made to retired players, and who should foot the bill, the "88 Plan" is a celebrated agreement.

The plight of Mackey might not be solely responsible for the conversation devoted these days to head injuries, and their catastrophic ramifications, but it was critical.

Of all the touchdowns Mackey tallied in his career, arguably the most memorable was the 75-yard score in Super Bowl V, when the ball deflected off Colts wide receiver Eddie Hinton and Dallas defensive back Mel Renfro. It was, truth be told, a fluke. But if the touchdown was a matter of luck, Mackey didn't have a lot of good fortune after it, particularly in his football afterlife.

That said, generations of NFL players were lucky to have had Mackey come before them, fighting the good and honorable fight.

Modern players regularly make reference to "standing on the shoulders" of those who preceded them in the game. Fortunately for them, Mackey had shoulders that were broad enough to carry the load.

Because of their various dementia-related maladies, the men who should probably thank Mackey the most -- in one final irony -- might not be able to do it. So here's hoping that, at some point in the collective bargaining discussions, the various participants from both sides took a few moments Thursday to recognize his contributions.

Len Pasquarelli is a Senior NFL Writer for The Sports Xchange.

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Britt, Austin take opposite roads during lockout time

Late last month, Tennessee receiver Kenny Britt, one of the NFL's more promising young pass catchers, surrendered himself to Nashville police. Britt had been accused of providing false information for a driver's license, which resulted in warrants for his arrest. It was one of many legal problems that has sent Britt down a Pacman Jones-like rabbit hole of alleged criminal wrongdoing.

Around the same time, a confident woman stared at her son with the radioactive gleam of a proud mom. Ann Austin watched Miles, the Pro Bowl receiver with the Dallas Cowboys, speak with the media at his inaugural charity event to help disadvantaged youths at the North Jersey Country Club in June.

Miles Austin put on the First Annual Austin Family Foundation Golf Outing last month at North Jersey Country Club. (Getty Images) "I look at him and as a mom can't help but be so proud," she said. "He came from nowhere and now plays for the Dallas Cowboys. His life could have gone in so many other directions but he stayed focused and worked hard."

Britt and Austin, once you look deeper, are actually very comparable. Britt was born in Bayonne, N.J., played his football at Rutgers, and most NFL scouts consider him one of the more physically gifted receivers in football. Austin was born in Summit, also played his college football in New Jersey, at Monmouth, and possesses equally devastating tools. Miles is the better player, but Britt might actually have more potential.

They are comparable except in one sense: During the lockout, their careers have taken drastically different paths.

Austin used the lockout to improve his game and life. He did what you'd want a player to do. He is in supreme shape, having worked out almost daily since the lockout began. Austin and his family also put together the charity golf event.

Britt has made different choices. Instead of using the lockout to improve his skills or be productive off the field, he has made headlines with arrests, not charity. In June, he was arrested for resisting arrest (a charge that was later reduced). It was one of several problems Britt has faced during the lockout in what overall has been a troubled career.

Two young receivers, the lockout pushing their careers in alternate directions, making different choices.

The lockout will make or break some careers. Britt is expected to face discipline from both the Titans and the NFL (though the legality of punishing a player after a lockout will surely be addressed by the NFLPA). His actions during the 100-plus-day standoff cast doubt on his ability to be a professional. All Austin has done is better himself.

Austin answered perfectly when asked what he thought was the biggest thing players have to do during the lockout?

"Police yourself," he said. "Stay busy by keeping yourself in shape. Work out, don't get lazy.

"What can happen is that lockout can make players complacent. You have to fight that and act like the lockout can end any minute. When it does end, you'll see right away who was working out, who kept sharp, and who didn't. It'll be immediately noticeable."

The lockout is almost over (we hope) and Austin's theory could be put to the test. Will we see a legion of players who kept focused the way Austin did? My guess is yes. Unfortunately, a few of the Britt-type players will slip through the cracks as well.

Britt hasn't been charged with a crime in days now. That's the good news. The bad news for him is that the lockout isn't over yet.

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Owners, NFLPA members reconvene after long day of talks

NEW YORK -- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA chief DeMaurice Smith have arrived to start a second straight day of negotiations at a law firm in Manhattan.

Members of the NFL Players Association executive board and owners are meeting Friday in hopes of resolving a lockout that began in March.

Entering the building were several executive board members, including president Kevin Mawae, and NFL owners. The owners included John Mara of the New York Giants and Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys.

On Thursday, negotiations stretched on for more than 12 hours, deep into the evening.

Some training camps are set to open in less than three weeks and the first exhibition game, at the Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions, is Aug. 7 in Canton, Ohio.

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New NFL Fatheads Released For the 2009 NFL Season

Lambeau officials ponder new gun law in Wisconsin

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Lambeau Field officials are trying to determine how the state's new concealed carry legislation will affect them.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is expected to sign the gun bill into law after July 4. (Getty Images) The Wisconsin legislation allows the carrying of concealed weapons but not in buildings owned or leased by the state.

Gov. Scott Walker is expected to sign the bill after July 4th and the law is expected to go into effect in October or November.

Pat Webb is the executive director of the Green Bay/Brown County Professional Football Stadium District. Webb tells WLUK-TV he doesn't know if the law officially considers Lambeau a government building.

However, according to LambeauField.com, the official website of the stadium, while the Packers operate and maintain Lambeau, the facility is owned by the City of Green Bay and Brown County.

Lambeau, originally called City Stadium, was initially financed equally by the Packers and the city by referendum in April 1956 and was dedicated in a Sept. 27, 1957 ceremony that included Vice President Richard Nixon and then-NFL commissioner Bert Bell.

The stadium was renamed in 1965, following the death of E.L. "Curly" Lambeau, the Packers' founder and first coach.

Green Bay Police Captain Paul Ebel says they are dissecting the legislation and planning to consult with the city's attorneys and the Packers organization.

The NFL says guns are not allowed in any NFL stadium.

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Courts could inject chaos into fragile NFL labor talks

There have been several moments when Judge Arthur Boylan -- mediator, babysitter, peace negotiator, the antidote to saber rattling -- has stepped in to break up verbal sparring between NFL players and owners.

One such moment happened during a recent negotiating session.

While a source wouldn't discuss what the particular argument was about, there was a moment when voices were raised. Boylan made a gesture with his hand signaling for everyone to calm down. The tempers cooled and talks continued in a more reasonable manner, I'm told.

It was also Boylan who urged the players and owners to negotiate late into the night this past Thursday and into Friday morning, and as the NFL Network first reported, Boylan's efforts led to the two sides making major progress on the revenue split issue. The players and owners are scheduled to meet with Boylan again on Tuesday in New York.

Boylan has earned the respect and trust of both sides, according to player and management sources. His sense of calm and professionalism has caused the talks to stay mostly focused minus several near blowups.

Boylan has been patient but that patience will last only so long. The disgrace of the players and owners failing to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement despite being so close goes beyond the inability of figuring out how to divide billions -- it should be as simple as, to paraphrase Bum Phillips, you get yours'n and I get mines'n. The other problem is the 8th Circuit elephant in the room.

That is one of the great tragedies of the two sides acting so petulantly. Two court systems are holding off making their decisions on various aspects of the lockout case and are watching how negotiations go. If Boylan's mediated sessions show promise, it's likely the courts would continue to wait.

But if the two sides continue to fight like 8-year-olds those courts might coldly unfurl their decisions plunging the entire mediation process into chaos.

The players and owners have a chance to settle their differences without court interference, yet they are ruining that opportunity, squabble by squabble, and petty act by petty act.

The courts in waiting are the 8th circuit and Judge David Doty. The 8th is waiting to rule on the permanency of the lockout. If a ruling does occur in favor of the owners they could continue the lockout for an extensive period of time -- a major tactical advantage. If the 8th Circuit rules in favor of the players, the lockout would end immediately and the players would receive paychecks from the owners giving them the advantage.

Both sides say privately that Boylan has been updating the 8th Circuit about the progress of mediation and settlement talks. Indeed one of the 8th Circuit judges stated in open court he wouldn't mind if the case was settled.

The other court case is Doty's. He's waiting to announce damages against the owners for their ugly behavior in the TV lockout case. Doty ruled the owners violated the CBA by making deals with the TV networks, asking the networks to continue making payments to the owners in the event of a work stoppage. Doty is expected to levy heavy financial damages.

It's been advantageous for the players and owners to engage in mediation because both court cases could have a major impact on both sides. This negotiating window was supposed to keep the courts at bay.

That window might be shutting. If a deal isn't struck soon that window will be sealed shut and all court-ruling hell will break loose.

Boylan has been a miracle worker. He's been the most effective mediator through this frustrating process but his Jedi mind tricks can only work for so long.

Before the other courts tire of waiting and jump in.

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NFL's forgotten men take, and earned, center stage

If you want to understand the raw emotions an army of debilitated former NFL players feel, emotions that are also figuring into -- and possibly stalling -- the current labor talks, please read what former San Francisco 49er George Visger has to say.

Visger read this story about retiree benefits being a sticking point in the labor talks, and then sent me an email commenting on it. Speaking of both the NFLPA and NFL owners, Visger wrote: "Do you think they'll actually toss a few benefit crumbs to us crippled up ex-players? Maybe they can pay for my next 10th brain surgery [sic]."

Players like Visger have long contended they've been the forgotten men in football history. Some are bankrupt because of medical expenses. They have broken bodies. Their minds are failing in their 50s. They suffer from depression, sudden fits of rage and suicidal tendencies. They have been pushed out of the way, they feel, by both union and management. And they are angry.

As I first reported Friday night, how to pay for player benefits and retiree expenses has become a stumbling block in the current negotiations. Owners believe that lawyers for the NFLPA are refusing to pay for these expenses. And the NFLPA should be faulted here. Retired players need to be under its protective umbrella. The NFLPA shouldn't wait for ownership to take control of this issue. The union should be throwing itself at the feet of these players, who were the backbone of the sport. If it weren't for players like Visger and thousands like him, current players wouldn't be making the large amounts of cash they're arguing about now.

This has long been the rallying cry of former players who feel the current union and membership don't respect them.

A defensive tackle, Visger played two years for the 49ers in the 1980s and says his memory began fading in 1982 after a bruising tackle left him unconscious. Visger says he fell into a coma and at one point was given his last rites. Subsequently, Visger says among other medical issues, he's had a number of football-related brain surgeries.

Visger's email to me is stinging, honest and symbolic of the anger many former players feel. It's presented here unedited and without comment:

"In today's economy (I just lost my home, need to find a place for my wife and 3 kids by July 10, and have NO idea where we will go), no one has any empathy for Billionaires fighting Millionaires over scraps. As with any company (I own my own business), the players should be putting into a retirement fund, with owners also paying for benefits. We are talking a $9.5 Billion industry for less than 2,000 active players. Hard to believe they can't toss 1/2 of 1% percent ($47.5M) of that $9.5 B into a fund each year. They could split 50/50 or 60/40 dependent on the outcome of the CBA. All I need is a $1,000/mo for my 12 NFL caused surgeries and I could stay in my home. "Keep in mind revenues for the NFL are expected to reach to exceed $15 B in the next 10 years.

"Neither the NFL nor the NFLPA gives a damn about the players once you are done. You have dirt bags like De Smith and Rodger Goodell both knocking down 8 figure salaries, when neither had the balls to ever wear a jock strap. I turned to the NFLPA during the 81 season WHILE I was still playing. After my first brain surgery during the 81 season, the front office was treating me strange, so I approached the PA (players association) requesting help as I felt I was headed for a fall (Was that ever an understatement). The PA set me up with a firm that let my statues of limitations run out and it just got worse from there. "It's all about greed on both sides. The problem is, the players have no idea the impacts playing will have on their families lives. The owners know how damaging their industry is to their employees, just as big tobacco knew for years. "It's not worth any amount of money or rings. You can have my Orange Bowl and Super Bowl rings if I could get my life back."

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Canadian doctor charged with smuggling drugs set for hearing

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A high-profile Canadian sports doctor charged last year with smuggling unapproved drugs into the United States to treat professional athletes is due in federal court in Buffalo next week for a hearing on a possible plea agreement.

Dr. Anthony Galea is scheduled before U.S. District Judge Richard Arcara on Wednesday. The court docket lists the proceeding as an arraignment and plea agreement hearing.

Calls to Galea's attorneys and prosecutors weren't immediately returned Friday.

The Toronto doctor was indicted by a federal grand jury in October, but has not yet entered a plea. The five-count indictment alleges he smuggled in human growth hormone and other substances and conspired and lied to border agents to avoid getting caught. He faces similar charges in Canada.

Galea, who is not authorized to work in the United States, is accused of treating 20 professional athletes at their homes, hotels and friends' houses from October 2007 to September 2009, including giving them free Viagra if they asked.

The indictment did not identify any clients, which prosecutors said included professional baseball and football players and others. A plea deal would eliminate the need for a trial, along with the likelihood that evidence and witness statements could publicly reveal information about who he visited or billed.

Tiger Woods has said he's been treated by Galea, but did not receive performance-enhancing drugs. The New York Mets' Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran also have acknowledged talking to federal authorities during the investigation. The New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez told Major League Baseball officials that he didn't receive performance-enhancing drugs from Galea after the doctor told the Associated Press he had prescribed anti-inflammatories for him.

The government alleged some athletes received injections of HGH, banned by major sports, and Actovegin, a derivative of calf's blood not approved for use in the United States, as well as intravenous Actovegin drips and platelet-rich plasma therapy, a treatment used to speed healing that involves extracting blood from patients and re-injecting just the plasma.

Authorities began investigating Galea after the arrest of his assistant, Mary Anne Catalano, as she entered the United States at the Peace Bridge in Buffalo in September 2009. She is scheduled to be sentenced later this month after pleading guilty to a single count of lying to border agents. As part of her plea, she's been cooperating in the investigation.

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