Hope for a breakthrough in the NFL labor impasse continued to build on Tuesday when representatives from the league and players' sides met secretly for the second straight week. The NFL Network and the AP reported the meeting took place.  Neither the league nor the NFL Players Association confirmed the meetings. But they built on three days of sessions held last week in the Chicago area.  NFL Network reported that the new talks are expected to last several days.  U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan, the court-appointed mediator to the two sides, was present for last week's meetings. The sides were originally scheduled to meet in his court in Minnesota on Tuesday, but Boylan cancelled that session after last week's meetings.  He said at the time that the sides were engaged in "settlement" talks. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell added on Friday that the sides planned on meeting again.  Representatives for both sides have said Boylan ordered confidentiality around the meetings.  The players sued the NFL for antitrust violations on March 11, and the owners responded by imposing a lockout the next day. Since then, the sides have fought a legal battle that ended in appeals court last Friday before a three-judge panel now considering the validity of the lockout.  Presiding judge Kermit Bye warned the sides that a settlement behooved them. "If this ends up with a decision," he said, " probably something both sides are not going to like."  Last week's talks included team owners such as Dallas' Jerry Jones, New England's Robert Kraft and Pittsburgh's Art Rooney II. Player leaders such as Mike Vrabel and Kevin Mawae also were in attendance. The teams of lawyers that have marked much of the labor impasse in court were not present at the meetings.  See photos of: NFL, Roger Goodell  To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor  . For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to  . Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to
NFLN: Owners, players meet again for Round 2 of secret talks - The Huddle: Football News from the NFL - USATODAY.com