And this CBS Sports piece suggests the real battle is yet to begin as Roger Goddell gets ready to rule on which Saints players will get suspended and for how long:
But another storm is coming. And this battle will be even more interesting, and more fierce, than the one we just witnessed.
Several league sources believe that this week Goodell could announce sanctions against the Saints players involved in the bounties. The number who could be penalized is in the dozens. It could be a huge, sweeping action by Goodell, a Round 2 of Saints beatdown.
The union and NFL have been involved in secret negotiations to determine the penalty for players. Those talks continue, I’m told. Few will give explicit details of what’s been happening, but I’ve been told the talks haven’t gone particularly well. It’s possible if Goodell suspends Saints players involved in the bounty scandal, the union will fight him.
That could change. The union and NFL could find a temporary truce and agree on what the discipline for the players could be, but that seems unlikely. Not impossible, but unlikely.
What has mostly gone unnoticed by many is that the league and union have been engaged in a serious cold war since the lockout. The feelings of warmth and accomplishment are gone. There is massive distrust, and that has fueled some of the bickering during discussions between the NFL and union as both sides try to figure out player discipline in the Saints case.
The whole article here.