The player’s association, or the association formerly known as the player’s union,immediately had to go on damage control. While DeMaurice Smith was a bit more tactful in his rebuttle, NFLPA outside counsel Jim Quinn just outright called Pash a liar.

“I hate to say this, but he has not told the truth to our players or our fans. He has, in a word, lied to them about what happened today and what’s happened over the last two weeks and the last two years.”

Here’s how Pash felt things went.

“Things can come together quickly. Things can fall apart quickly,” Pash said when the NFL negotiating team left for the day. “I’ve said it many times: If both sides have an equal commitment to getting this deal done, it will get done. I don’t know if both sides have an equal commitment. … Obviously, we have the commitment.”

That in turn set DeMaurice Smith off, who offered a full rebuttle in spite of the self-imposed media blackout. His response hardly pulled any punches.

“We have been committed to this process. But for anyone to stand and turn to the American people and say they question that?” Smith said. “Look, I understand that there’s probably some things Jeff Pash just has to say, but this is the truth: We know that as early as March of 2009 … the National Football League engaged in a strategy to get $4 billion of television money … even if the games weren’t played.”

Then things just got weird, after the NFL general counsel and the NFLPA Chief squared off, all hell broke loose. George Atallah of the NFLPA made some remarks regarding the NFL owner’s negotiating strategy.

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