By Jim Trotter, SI.com

WASHINGTON -- For the first time publicly, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith said tonight that an 18-game season is off the negotiating table in collective bargaining talks with the owners.

Speaking before approximately 100 fans during a joint event with radio station 106.7-FM "The Fan" at the union's downtown office, Smith was categorical that the players won't expand the regular season from 16 to 18 games. He previously had been nuanced in his remarks, saying any change would be predicated on significant adjustments to teams' offseason training programs and the amount of padded contact the players endured during in-season practices.

However when contacted after a Q&A session with fans, Smith reiterated that 18 games is a no-go with the players.

"First of all, the league has never presented a formal proposal for 18 games," he told SI.com. "But more importantly, it's something that our players don't want. Eighteen games is not in the best interest of our players' safety, so we're not doing it."

by Cris Benson The Fantasy Football Informer

The NFL and NFLPA met again today and tonight as well to resolve an $800 Million Dollar difference.   According to The Washington Post  and an unnamed source the problem appears to be dividing the money. 

The unnamed source did disclose some details including that sports revenue would be divided in a salary cap system.  The agreement would include an 18 game regular season as opposed to the past 16 game regular season. 

But the agreement would also include reductions in offseason team workouts, a rookie pay scale that is not as strict as the original.  But the unnamed source also cautioned that the deal is very fragile and may change in several areas.

The NFLPA’s Executive Director DeMaurice Smith spoke in a news conference this afternoon, "There's a commitment from both sides to engage in another round of negotiations at the request of the mediation service," Smith continued, "We look forward to a deal coming out of that."