"The NFL labor dispute remains in litigation mode, a bitter war of attrition that has produced far more acrimony than common ground.

As the lockout drags into its third month, Baltimore Ravens veteran wide receiver and player representative Derrick Mason sees no reason to be encouraged about the prospects for a new collective bargaining agreement anytime soon.

"No closer than it was three months ago," Mason said. "It's sad to say, but that's the reality of things. I'm an optimistic person, but the way it's looking I can't see anything happening, not this month, not next month, which is June.

"We're talking maybe July, and that's a maybe. Hopefully, we can put everything aside and get a deal worked out so we don't miss football."

Mason contributed to the harsh nature of the impasse earlier this spring when he ripped NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, dismissing the league's top executive as "a joke."

Mason even wore a T-shirt during an ESPN interview where he brandished his words across his chest.

And he hasn't backed down from his words or apologized for his verbal assault on Goodell.

"No, I don't regret it," Mason said. "Why? I'm not going to go back on my words. You go back on your words, then you're being a coward, more or less. I said what I said, I meant it at that time, and I just let it go.

"When you're the face of the NFL, as Goodell is, you've got to have thick skin. He got booed at the draft, and he walked and he smiled. You've got to have thick skin."

Mason said it's only fair that Goodell face criticism considering the nature of the work stoppage."