football news legal team for NFL players meet with judge

MINNEAPOLIS-with the lockout at one month and counting,attorneys for NFL players sat down tuesday with the federal magistrate who will oversee court-ordered mediation with the league later this week.attorneys and hall of fame defensive end carl eller met with U.S. magistrate judge arthur boylan for about four hours.boylan "was very open"and it was a very constructive session,"said michael hausfeld,the lead attorney representing eller and a group of mostly retired players in their antitrust lawsuit against  the owners.other attorneys declined comment.the meeting came on the same day the NFL released its 2011 preseason schedule,led by the hall of fame game between chicago and st.louis in canton,ohio,on aug.7. whether the games are held remains an open question.the NFL`s attorneys are scheduled to meet with boylan on wednesday before mediation begins on thursday,the first talks since collective bargaining negotiations broke down march 11,follwed hours later by  the NFL`s first work stoppage since 1987.