Judge expected in N.Y. for NFL talks: source

Talks to end the NFL lockout will resume with the court-appointed mediator in New York on Monday and could continue through Thursday, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

The person spoke to the AP on Sunday on condition of anonymity, because the discussions are supposed to remain confidential.

The mediator, U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan, originally had ordered representatives of the league's owners and players to meet with him Tuesday in Minneapolis. Now Boylan is expected to arrive in New York on Monday to oversee talks aimed at ending the NFL's first work stoppage since 1987.

The owners have a special meeting set for Thursday in Atlanta, where they potentially could ratify a new deal — if one is reached by then. Any agreement also must be voted on by groups of players, including the named plaintiffs in a federal antitrust suit against the league, and the NFL Players Association's 32 team representatives.

More than four months into the lockout, owners and players have made significant progress on the framework of an agreement. But re-establishing the union and figuring out what it will take for nine NFL players — including star quarterbacks Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees — to settle that antitrust suit are among key issues blocking a deal to end the lockout, people familiar with the negotiations told the AP on condition of anonymity.

The unresolved matters also include how the TV networks case, in which the players accused the owners of setting up "lockout insurance," will be settled.

Among the parts mostly squared away following significant progress last week:

• how the more than US$9 billion in annual league revenues will be divided;
• a rookie salary system;
• free agency rules;
• a cap of about $120 million for player salaries in 2011, with about another $20 million in benefits.

The lockout began March 12, when negotiations broke down and the old collective bargaining agreement expired. The NFLPA announced it was dissolving itself and would no longer be a union that could bargain for all players under labour law, instead saying it was now a trade association. That allowed players to take their chances against the NFL in federal court under antitrust law.

There is a possibility that the sides will be able to put together a tentative agreement in principle in time to keep the preseason completely intact. The exhibition opener is scheduled to be the Hall of Fame game between the St. Louis Rams and Chicago Bears on Aug. 7, and as of Sunday, no preseason games had been cancelled.

Members of the legal and financial teams for the two groups met in New York on Saturday, while NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith spoke with each other. The larger negotiating teams that gathered for more than 30 hours of intensive face-to-face talks spread across Wednesday through Friday — including owners and current or former players — did not meet Saturday.

Among the parts of the deal that people familiar with the negotiations told the AP are largely in place:

• The players' portion of the league's full annual revenues will be on a sliding scale with a floor of 46.5 per cent and a ceiling of 48.5 per cent. There no longer will be the old formula, under which owners got a cut off the top for various operating expenses before revenues were divided.
• Most players will be able to become unrestricted free agents after four years in the league, and the owners' hope for being able to get a right of first refusal on three players per team in 2011 was dropped.
• First-round draft picks will sign four-year deals, with a club option for the fifth year. The new rookie salary system will help curtail first-year players' soaring salaries, with much of that money going to veterans.

Open champion Darren Clarke reveals he almost quit in April

Darren Clarke thought about giving up professional golf in April after a round of 81 in Morocco but was persuaded, against his instincts, to go on holiday, regroup and come back refreshed. On balance, the new Open champion probably made the right decision.

For one thing, he is now considerably richer. Along with the £900,000 winner's cheque, he will receive a £2m bonus from one of his sponsors on Wednesday, as well as countless other benefits – appearance fees and such like – that come the way of major champions.

More importantly, by sticking with the game the Northern Irishman was sticking with the very fibre of his being. He is – as he confirmed during the course of a hungover post-victory press conference at Royal St George's – a golfer to the core. The son of a greenskeeper picked up the game as an 11-year-old, discovered an aptitude and developed a love. He turned professional in 1990, won his first European Tour event three years later and over the next 20 years fashioned a career that could be a judged a solid B+. But now this: the Champion Golfer of the Year, as the R&A designates the winner of its annual shindig.

When the prize-giving was over and the hordes had departed Royal St George's, Clarke returned to a rented house for the party of all parties.

The Claret Jug was passed around and admired as the champion mingled with family and guests and posed for photographs. Clarke's ubiquitous agent and long-time friend, Andrew Chandler, spoke of the frustrations that drove his man to the brink this year. "He was so low he thought about giving it up," he said. "It was the lowest I have ever seen him. He wasn't hitting the ball like he used to in Morocco, so I told him to take extra holiday. He went away for three weeks and came back refreshed." Two weeks after his return Clarke won a European Tour event in Mallorca.

No offence to the Iberdrola Open and those who played in it, but in the grander scheme of things Clarke's victory that week did not set the world alight. And it certainly did not portend the events at Sandwich over the weekend.

Yet it takes talent to win a golf tournament and that victory, his first in three years, suggested Clarke was not ready to go quietly into the golfing night just yet. "It happens about once every three years that I get in the right mood and play the kind of golf I am capable of playing," he explained between glasses of champagne.

This time the gap between victories was three months – a dramatic shortening of the cycle for which he gave credit to his fiancee, Alison Campbell, and to a reunion with the sports psychologist Bob Rotella, with whom he has worked sporadically over the course of his career. The pair had not met face to face for a year until the start of last week. They were inseparable for the duration.

"No, I won't," Clarke said when asked to explain what he and Rotella had spoken about. Fortunately, the psychologist was not so shy. "Darren had been getting more and more frustrated with his putting and that was affecting his whole game," Rotella said. "I told him, 'You are going to have to go unconscious'. I told him I didn't want him to think about technique. I just wanted him to look where he wanted the ball to go and hit it – like he did when he was 12 years old.

"I used to work with stammerers: 98% of them could talk when they were in their bathroom; it was just that little doubt in public which tied them up. He had the skills – he's a talented athlete; it was a question of freeing them up."

Easier said than done, of course, especially in the madness of an Open Championship setting. Luckily for Clarke, who practises regularly in bad weather at Royal Portrush, his home club, the conditions at Sandwich were appalling. This meant two-thirds of the field, those who had neither the tools nor the inclination to persevere in the squalls, could immediately be dismissed. As for the other third, including players such as Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, they did not have the tools to match a man enjoying the golfing week of his life.

"I play my best when I'm fat," Clarke said a couple of times during the week, and on widescreen television screens up and down the land he cuts a less than athletic figure. But standing next to him at his celebration party he did not look fat at all. He looked solid, athletic even, with huge hands and arms that look capable of bending raw steel.

More than anything he looked fulfilled – a changed man, as he conceded. "I used to give myself airs and graces when I was younger," he said in the glow of victory. "I have to admit I was a prat. I was rude to people if I'd had a bad round, and it wasn't right. But I like to think I have learned from my mistakes."

Open champion Darren Clarke reveals he almost quit in April

Darren Clarke thought about giving up professional golf in April after a round of 81 in Morocco but was persuaded, against his instincts, to go on holiday, regroup and come back refreshed. On balance, the new Open champion probably made the right decision.

For one thing, he is now considerably richer. Along with the £900,000 winner's cheque, he will receive a £2m bonus from one of his sponsors on Wednesday, as well as countless other benefits – appearance fees and such like – that come the way of major champions.

More importantly, by sticking with the game the Northern Irishman was sticking with the very fibre of his being. He is – as he confirmed during the course of a hungover post-victory press conference at Royal St George's – a golfer to the core. The son of a greenskeeper picked up the game as an 11-year-old, discovered an aptitude and developed a love. He turned professional in 1990, won his first European Tour event three years later and over the next 20 years fashioned a career that could be a judged a solid B+. But now this: the Champion Golfer of the Year, as the R&A designates the winner of its annual shindig.

When the prize-giving was over and the hordes had departed Royal St George's, Clarke returned to a rented house for the party of all parties.

The Claret Jug was passed around and admired as the champion mingled with family and guests and posed for photographs. Clarke's ubiquitous agent and long-time friend, Andrew Chandler, spoke of the frustrations that drove his man to the brink this year. "He was so low he thought about giving it up," he said. "It was the lowest I have ever seen him. He wasn't hitting the ball like he used to in Morocco, so I told him to take extra holiday. He went away for three weeks and came back refreshed." Two weeks after his return Clarke won a European Tour event in Mallorca.

No offence to the Iberdrola Open and those who played in it, but in the grander scheme of things Clarke's victory that week did not set the world alight. And it certainly did not portend the events at Sandwich over the weekend.

Yet it takes talent to win a golf tournament and that victory, his first in three years, suggested Clarke was not ready to go quietly into the golfing night just yet. "It happens about once every three years that I get in the right mood and play the kind of golf I am capable of playing," he explained between glasses of champagne.

This time the gap between victories was three months – a dramatic shortening of the cycle for which he gave credit to his fiancee, Alison Campbell, and to a reunion with the sports psychologist Bob Rotella, with whom he has worked sporadically over the course of his career. The pair had not met face to face for a year until the start of last week. They were inseparable for the duration.

"No, I won't," Clarke said when asked to explain what he and Rotella had spoken about. Fortunately, the psychologist was not so shy. "Darren had been getting more and more frustrated with his putting and that was affecting his whole game," Rotella said. "I told him, 'You are going to have to go unconscious'. I told him I didn't want him to think about technique. I just wanted him to look where he wanted the ball to go and hit it – like he did when he was 12 years old.

"I used to work with stammerers: 98% of them could talk when they were in their bathroom; it was just that little doubt in public which tied them up. He had the skills – he's a talented athlete; it was a question of freeing them up."

Easier said than done, of course, especially in the madness of an Open Championship setting. Luckily for Clarke, who practises regularly in bad weather at Royal Portrush, his home club, the conditions at Sandwich were appalling. This meant two-thirds of the field, those who had neither the tools nor the inclination to persevere in the squalls, could immediately be dismissed. As for the other third, including players such as Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, they did not have the tools to match a man enjoying the golfing week of his life.

"I play my best when I'm fat," Clarke said a couple of times during the week, and on widescreen television screens up and down the land he cuts a less than athletic figure. But standing next to him at his celebration party he did not look fat at all. He looked solid, athletic even, with huge hands and arms that look capable of bending raw steel.

More than anything he looked fulfilled – a changed man, as he conceded. "I used to give myself airs and graces when I was younger," he said in the glow of victory. "I have to admit I was a prat. I was rude to people if I'd had a bad round, and it wasn't right. But I like to think I have learned from my mistakes."

Darren Clarke dedicates Open victory to his children

The Northern Irishman won by three shots after shooting a level-par 70 to win his first major title.

Afterwards he paid tribute to Heather, who died in 2006 from breast cancer, and their sons Tyrone and Conor.

Clarke said: "There's obviously somebody watching from up there and I know she'd be very proud. But I think she'd be more proud of my two boys."

"It's for the kids," he added. "They played golf at Royal Portrush this morning and were watching on TV.

"Heather would probably be saying, 'I told you so'."

The 42-year-old becomes Northern Ireland's third major champion in little over a year, following Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy's wins at the US Open.

Clarke's five-under par total for the tournament saw off the American pair of Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, who finished joint second, with Denmark's Thomas Bjorn a shot further back in fourth.

It left the Northern Irishman promising "a long and very enjoyable" night of celebration.

"I'm on Weight Watchers tomorrow morning," he quipped after completing his victory. "There's five points in a pint of Guinness... I think this could probably be a bad week for me to try and start."

Clarke will next be in action at the Irish Open in Killarney on 28 July and he promised: "I may not be sober for the Irish Open, but I will be in Killarney.

"It's pretty amazing right now, to tell you the truth. It's been a dream since I've been a kid to win the Open, like any kid's dream is, and I'm able to do it, which just feels incredible.

"I played okay today, I did what I needed to do. The last couple of holes I was trying not to make any stupid mistakes. I just tried to play really carefully and it was good enough to win."

The Sandwich tournament was the 54th major in which Clarke had participated, and he had not had a top-10 finish for a decade.

But he said: "I've got here in the end. It may be the only major that I win, it may not be the only major that I win, but at least I've gone out there today and did my best, and my best was good enough to win.

"If it hadn't come off and I hadn't won, I could still have said I did my best. I ask my two boys to do their best and that's what they do, so I think their dad should try and do the same."

Clarke went into the final round with a one-shot lead over playing partner Dustin Johnson and five ahead of Mickelson, but that gap was wiped out in seven holes as left-handed Mickelson registered three birdies and an eagle.

But the Northern Irishman refused to panic and matched Mickelson's eagle on the seventh before chalking up nine pars in a row to give him breathing room over the last few holes.

Mickelson and Clarke have long been good friends and they shared a private moment after Clarke had sunk his winning putt.

The pair became close because of their shared experience of watching loved ones battling breast cancer - Mickelson's wife Amy and mother Mary have both experienced it - and Clarke said: "It is something that I could talk about but I'm not going to.

"(But) he has turned into a very good friend of mine through thick and thin, and he said some very, very kind words to me there which is great."

Mickelson said his friend would be a hugely popular Open champion. "He couldn't be a nicer guy," he said. "There's a lot of players that are extremely happy for him.

"He was one of the first people that called us, Amy and I, a couple years ago. He's been through this and couldn't have been a better person to talk to.

"He's a tremendous person and a very good friend, and I couldn't be happier for him."

Players' secret lockout insurance could have sparked talks

From the moment he was elected executive director of the NFL Players Association in March 2009, DeMaurice Smith always took the long view when it came to negotiations with the owners on a new collective bargaining agreement. Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

It's one of the reasons that slightly more than a year ago he received approval from the executive committee to secure insurance that would pay each player roughly $200,000 if there were no football in 2011.

Smith disclosed the fund to only a handful of people outside of the executive committee. However with negotiations seemingly at a standstill late Wednesday night, the decision was made to play one of their aces in the hole. So in the relative quiet of the sides' New York City bargaining room the next morning, Baltimore Ravens cornerback Domonique Foxworth informed the owners of the previously secret lockout fund.

Was that the shove in the back that moved the sides closer to a potential agreement? Only the owners know for sure, but a source close to one of them said the disclosure definitely got that side's attention. Perhaps for good reason.

The common perception has been that the players' solidarity would crumble once they started missing paychecks. However the foundation beneath that line of thinking would be as solid as Jell-O if the players could couple the insurance with a large financial award from U.S. District Judge David Doty, who previously ruled the owners had illegally created a $4.3 billion lockout fund for themselves by renegotiating their TV deals at the expense of the players.

"Players Association leadership looked into this as a last possible resort to keep players together in case games would be missed," one players-side source said of the insurance war chest. "It was never intended to be used as a bargaining chip or negotiating point until things became critical."

Thursday was a critical point. If the sides could not advance negotiations then the possibility of hundreds of millions of dollars being lost to canceled preseason games was real. And if the owners allowed the impasse to get that far, what was to stop them from testing the players' pain threshold by extending the lockout into the regular season?

The Players Association began informing its membership about the insurance fund over the past week and brought it up in the negotiating room for the first time Thursday. There's no way to know at this time whether it was the final oomph that pushed negotiations onto positive ground, but it's hard to believe it didn't have some impact considering the talks were "not in a good place" the previous night when the sides broke for the day.

Amateur Lewis, Bjorn share British Open lead

Thomas Bjorn and Tom Lewis have nothing in common except for the unlikely position they shared Thursday atop the leaderboard at the British Open.


It's not just that one is twice as old.


Or that Bjorn is a 40-year-old pro who wonders how much longer he can compete at the highest level, while Lewis is an amateur making his major championship debut, his best golf still to come.


The biggest difference are their memories of Royal St. George's.


Bjorn took a small step toward atonement with a birdie on the par 3 16th — the hole that cost him the claret jug in 2003 when he took three shots to escape a pot bunker — on his way to a 5-under 65 in the toughest conditions of the opening round.


He made a birdie on Thursday, and couldn't help but smile when he saw it bounce away from trouble and toward the flag.


"When I hit the shot, I thought, 'This is going to struggle.' So when it just made it over that bunker, that was just a smile of knowing that things were going my way today," Bjorn said.


Lewis ran off four straight birdies late in his round, an amazing stretch that began on the par-5 14th. That's the hole where Lewis wrapped up the British Boys Amateur Championship two years ago, the highlight of a sterling amateur record. A par on the final hole gave him a 65, the lowest ever by an amateur in the British Open, making him the first amateur to lead this championship in 43 years.


"It was a special moment for me, winning here, and to come back to where you've won is extra special," Lewis said. "I was just thrilled to be here, but to shoot 65 the first round was something I wouldn't have thought. I was just happy to get the drive off the tee at the first, and that was all that mattered."


Adding to the nerves was playing alongside Tom Watson, such a popular figure in the Lewis household that they named their oldest son after the five-time Open champion. And to think the kid only wanted to make sure he didn't embarrass himself in front of Watson.


"He could be my grandson," Watson said. "I just had to smile inside to watch him play. I didn't play particularly well myself, but I certainly was impressed by the way he played."


Equally impressive to Watson was to overhear Lewis' caddie tell him there were still 54 holes left.


But what a start.


Bjorn wasn't even in the tournament until Vijay Singh withdrew on Monday, giving the Dane another shot at Royal St. George's. When someone suggested if he would be better off not playing to avoid memories of his meltdown, Bjorn cut him off.


"A couple of people asked me that question, 'Would you not just want to go home?"' Bjorn said. "This is The Open Championship. Where else do you want to be?"


Miguel Angel Jimenez also played in the windy morning conditions and had a bogey-free 66. He was joined later in the round by former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover and Webb Simpson.


Vintage links golf


A dozen players were at 68, a group that two major champions from last year — PGA winner Martin Kaymer and U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell, who was 3 over through five holes until a ferocious rally.


There are no Canadians in the field.


It was vintage links golf along the Strait of Dover, where the seaside wind can be as fickle as the bounces on rolling turf of Royal St. George's. Flags that were crackling throughout the morning when Bjorn and Jimenez faced cold conditions and a spot of rain were only rippling when Lewis teed off in the afternoon, and they were drooping when the round ended.


The change was reflected in the scores.


Rory McIlroy, coming off an eight-shot victory in the U.S. Open that made the 22-year-old the centrepiece of this major, rallied from a sloppy start for a 1-over 71, and he had no complaints.


"Anywhere around even par is a good start," McIlroy said.


It didn't feel that way toward the end of a long day.


The morning half of the draw were a combined 223-over par. The afternoon half combined to go only 94-over par. There were a dozen rounds in the 60s in the morning, and 23 in the afternoon.


"Looks like the wind gods are having an afternoon tea?" came a tweet from John Daly, who was proud of his 72 in the morning.


The calmer conditions are expected for Friday morning when Lewis goes out for his second round, with the wind shifting and becoming more fierce in the afternoon. That figures to only help Lewis, Glover and those who got the late-early portion of the tee times.


Lewis figures he has other advantages.


He has been around golf all of his life — his father once played the European Tour — and he really feels at home on links courses. The Royal & Ancients tends to play its championships for amateurs on the seaside courses, and Lewis has played only links this summer except for one tournament.


'Used to the wind'


"We're used to the wind," Lewis said. "Watching it on the TV this morning, I didn't think scores would be as low as they are. But the wind dropped, and that was the opportunity to shoot a good score. And I'm thankful I did play well."


Far more impressive was Bjorn, because of the conditions and his history on this ancient turf. Players stuck their hands in the pocket to fight the chill, the wind and occasional rain. Bjorn also made his move on the 14th, making back-to-back birdies.


And then came the par-3 16th.


It was his first time on that hole in competition since that dreadful Sunday afternoon in 2003. Eight years later, the difference was the day of the week — and what was riding on it. Just like then, he had a two-shot lead in the British Open. His tee shot had him concerned as it drifted in the blustery wind toward one of the seven bunkers guarding the green.


The ball barely cleared a bunker, hopped onto the green and trundled toward the hole.


"That gives you the trust and belief that sometimes things can turn out your way, and it does that in links golf," Bjorn said. "We all know what its' like — a bounce here or there and then it goes either wrong or right. And today it went my way."


But he was dismissive when it was suggested that hole — and this course — owes him something.


"This hole owes nobody anything," Bjorn said. "No hole in golf does, and no golf course does. I played that Open and I played fantastic the whole week. I tried to hit the right shot every single time, and I didn't hit the right shot on 16. That happens in golf. That's the nature of this game. You've just got to deal with them things."


He has coped as well as can be expected, even if no one believes him. Bjorn had a tough time when he returned to the British Open the following year at Royal Troon, then moved on. A year later, in the 2005 PGA Championship at Baltusrol, he was tied for the lead and poised for a playoff until Phil Mickelson birdied the final hole to win. That at least told Bjorn he could still contend.


Thursday was another reminder, although he is not sure how long it will last.


That holds true for Lewis, the English amateur who is advancing quicker than he could imagine. He poured in a 20-foot birdie putt on the 17th for his last birdie, and was so locked into what he was doing that he didn't take time to glance at the yellow scoreboard atop the grandstand, or even wait for Watson to walk first onto the 18th green, a tradition reserved for the most respected players in the game.


Either way, they were cheering for Tom.

Robinson: Too much made of McIlroy too soon

With apologies to those who may have found solace in other tournaments in the interim, this week marks the return of Rory McIlroy and talk about whether golf has found its next big superstar.

A few weeks have passed since McIlroy's epic win in the U.S. Open at Congressional, where the 22-year-old from Northern Ireland set the golf world on its ear with his wire-to-wire romp.

The victory has, predictably, and quite understandably, given rise to talk that golf perhaps has its next Tiger Woods — or at least a player to approach what Woods has accomplished.

More on that subject in a moment. But first, the task that confronts McIlroy and the rest of the field in the British Open, which tees off Thursday at Royal St. George's in Sandwich, England.

McIlroy is the prohibitive favourite and, after three weeks of not playing and doing the rounds in Britain and Ireland on chat shows, magazine shoots, even appearing in the royal box at Wimbledon, his play will be monitored every bit as close as Woods was when he was pocketing major titles like Halloween candy.

McIlroy didn't shoot a single round in the 70s in last year's Open Championship at St. Andrews. The problem was just three were in the 60s, the other an ugly 80 that cost him a chance to seriously challenge eventual winner Louis Oosthuizen. McIlory tied for third.

St. George's is about as far away geographically from St. Andrews as you can get in Britain, situated along the south coast of England. But it's a pure links just the same.

The 2003 Open held at St. George's produced, arguably, the most unheralded major winner in the past decade-plus in Ben Curtis.

That year, Curtis was the last man standing after the two best players in the world at the time, Vijay Singh (T2) and Woods (T4), could not completely figure out the nuances of St. George's. Curtis registered six birdies early and a key 10-footer for par at the last to take the title. That year's event was equally memorable for the sad demise of Thomas Bjorn (T2), who failed to get out of bunker twice on 16 and blew his best chance at a major title.

Fast forward to 2011 and the golf world is abuzz with talk — some of it sensible, some of it not — that McIlroy is the next heir to the throne.

But comparing McIlroy to Woods at this stage can be summed up with a single digit: 1. That's how many major titles the gifted youngster has won versus 14 for Woods and how many majors McIlroy will need to win per season to match Woods's pace by the time he turns 35, the age the former world No. 1 is right now. Put another way, Phil Mickelson's pace of four major titles in a shade more than seven seasons is likely a more realistic barometer for McIlroy.

Viewed in that context, it shows how much work McIlroy has in front of him — and how premature the chatter has been. Make no mistake, McIlroy's triumph at Congressional was only comparable to Woods's victory in the 1997 Masters because both players were vritually the exact same age and dominated in a similar fashion.

But where the comparison gets even more out of whack is in assessing Woods's game in his prime to McIlroy's now. Woods showed sublime ball striking and holed virtually every pressure putt he could during his prolonged run(s) as the world's No. 1 player. At least it seemed that way. Putting, especially the pressure putts between five and 10 feet, remain the one weakness in McIlroy's game. That's what cost him at the Masters and it has been a bugbear at other times early in his professional career.

To be fair, when he's playing well, McIlroy's ball striking is so superior that it's possible he will win many majors and other big tournaments without truly being tested on the greens. That's how good he is tee to green.

Overall, the comparison talk seems incredibly premature, but at least McIlroy has earned the right to initiate the conversation. All too often over the years — remember banter about Sergio Garcia versus Woods, or how about the Big Five battles between Woods, Singh, Mickelson, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen that never quite materialized? — the conversation was stamped out by Tiger's incredible ability to crush the competition.

Yet what McIlroy has done so well since the U.S. Open is get people talking and there's no harm in that.

Football Hall of Famer John Mackey Dies at 69

John Mackey, the rugged Hall of Fame tight end and union president who later fought for stronger health benefits of retired players and struggled with dementia, has died. He was 69.

Mackey's wife notified the team about her husband's death, Baltimore Ravens spokesman Chad Steele said Thursday. No official cause was given.

Mackey played for the Baltimore Colts from 1963-71, and helped the team beat the Dallas Cowboys in the 1971 Super Bowl by catching a pass from Johnny Unitas after it deflected off two other players for a 75-yard touchdown.

He also played for the San Diego Chargers in 1972, and finished his 10-year career with 331 catches for 5,236 yards and 38 touchdowns.

Mackey's efforts after his playing days were just as important as his performance on the field. An NFL labor agreement ratified in 2006 includes the "88 Plan," named for Mackey's number, 88. It provides up to $88,000 a year for nursing care or day care for ex-players with dementia or Alzheimer's disease, or $50,000 for home care.

"John Mackey is still our leader. As the president of the NFLPA, he led the fight for fairness with a brilliance and with ferocious drive," union executive director DeMaurice Smith said. "His passion continues to define our organization and inspire our players. His unwavering loyalty to our mission and his exemplary courage will never be forgotten."

The health care of former players has become a prominent issue in the negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. An NFL lockout has been going on since March.

"John Mackey was one of the great leaders in NFL history, on and off the field," Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "He was a Hall of Fame player who redefined the tight end position. He was a courageous advocate for his fellow NFL players as head of the NFL Players Association. He worked closely with our office on many issues through the years, including serving as the first president of the NFL Youth Football Fund. He never stopped fighting the good fight."

Mackey was drafted in 1963 out of Syracuse -- by the NFL's Baltimore Colts in the second round, and the AFL's New York Jets in the fifth round.

He wound up playing for the Colts just as the passing game was taking on a major role in pro football. His size, speed and ability to catch the ball while also blocking in the running game made him the prototype for future generations of tight ends.

"John revolutionized the tight end position during his Hall of Fame career, and he laid the foundation on and off the field for modern NFL players," Ravens general manager and fellow Hall of Fame tight end Ozzie Newsome said.

He caught 35 passes for 726 yards as a rookie in 1963, when he was selected to the first of five Pro Bowls. He also was voted first-team All-Pro by The Associated Press in 1966, '67 and '68.

Mackey helped the Colts beat the Dallas Cowboys in the '71 Super Bowl. His touchdown on a 75-yard pass play helped set the stage for a 16-13 win on Jim O'Brien's 32-yard field goal in the closing seconds.

After he retired, Mackey joined Mike Ditka as the first tight ends selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The John Mackey Award was established to honor the nation's top college football tight end, and Syracuse retired his number in 2007.

"John was the perfect role model for Syracuse football student-athletes," Syracuse coach and former NFL player Doug Marrone said. "He was a larger-than-life man and he influenced so many people. Many consider him the greatest tight end in NFL history and he was a pioneer in the development in the NFL Players Association."

Mackey has become closely associated with the plight of many former players who helped build the NFL in the era before million-dollar contracts, safer equipment and better health care.

He suffered from frontotemporal dementia in later years that is believed to have been caused by the contact associated with playing football. Four years ago, the dementia forced Mackey into living in an assisted-living facility.

The costs associated with his care, which far outpaced Mackey's pension, led to the "88 Plan" for retired players. Now, former players are pushing for better pension plans and health benefits from the league.

"John Mackey has inspired me and will continue to inspire our players," Smith posted on Twitter. "He will be missed but never forgotten."

UPDATE 1-Olympics-S.Korea expects huge economic boost from Winter Games

Shares in South Korean casino and resort operators and construction firms spiked on Thursday, buoyed by expectations that Pyeongchang's hosting of the 2018 Winter Olympics could pump tens of billions of dollars into the economy.

At an International Olympic Committee meeting, South Korea won the right to host the contest at the third attempt, capping a decade-long campaign to bring winter sports to this rustic town, and sparking all-night celebrations.

A study by the Hyundai Research Institute has said hosting the 2018 Games will inject 65 trillion won ($61 billion) into Asia's fourth largesteconomy through investment, spending, and spin-off consumption.

On the Seoul stock exchange, Seunghwa Premium Construction Co surged to its daily limit of 15 percent on expectations the builder might be involving in the construction of a highway to Pyeongchang.

Hyundai Cement , which owns a resort in Gangwon Province, home to Pyeongchang, also surged 15 percent, while shares in casino operator Kangwon Land jumped as much as 9.5 percent.

The winning bid was a coup for Korea Inc. as major conglomerates threw their support behind the bid, which was headed by Cho Yang-ho, chairman of flag carrier Korean Air Lines 003490.Ks. Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee is the country's sole IOC member.

Japan is the only Asian country to host a Winter Olympics -- in Sapporo in 1972 and Nagano in 1998.

Pyeongchang ran under the slogan "New Horizons", arguing Asia's stellar economic growth in recent decades and the continent's massive population offered an untapped market for winter sports.

South Korea also hopes the event will serve as a catalyst for improved ties for rival Koreas, which stand at war technically under a truce that ended their 1950-53 conflict and have engaged in confrontations that have made tension on the peninsula a constant backdrop to economic development.

"This is a day for both South and North Korea," Unification Minister Hyun In-taek said at a former military training ground in Hwacheon, about 30 minutes drive from the North Korean border at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new centre for defectors, whose numbers have swelled in the South.

For many local residents, the Games come as a chance to breathe life into their sleepy town and help portraying a better image for their country as a place of skilled bureaucracy and business opportunities.

"I think this will help Korea's brand name," said Kim Young-soo, 39, who runs a lubricants shop in the nearby town of Chuncheon. "Korea has been seen as a more difficult place to do business than other developed countries."

Kim was among the nearly 1,000 local residents and visitors who gathered around the Alpensia resort, one of the planned venues for the 2018 Games, dancing to a K-pop boy band and enjoying Korean folk dance and songs before the decision.

Robed monks and hundreds of soldiers in fatigue were among the throng of patriotic supporters waving the flag and "clapper" balloons popular at South Korean sports events, emblazoned with the bid's logo "New Horizons."

South Korea hosted the Summer Games in 1988 and the World Cup soccer finals together with Japan in 2002.