The players and owners have struck a deal that will again ensure the NFL remains the world's most profitable co-operative. Both sides have agreed to a new revenue-sharing model that gives players a hike and promises extra revenue to the less profitable teams, reports USA Today.

With a 30-2 vote, owners approved a deal that raises the salary cap to $102 million for the 2006 season. But more important, it maintains the cap system and fixed labor costs through 2011. And prevents an uncapped year in 2007.

The sticking point was that the stronger teams have developed additional revenue, in some cases as much as $100 million a year, that was needed to fund the pay hike for players. The new arrangement will see the top 15 teams sharing revenue with those on the bottom of the table. Call me cynical, but I can see a lot of Big Four accounting brain power going into making sure that a team places around 16 0r 17 on the revenue table.

Asked why the deal took so long, Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones pulled no punches: "If I'm going to get my fanny kicked, I can put that off to another day."