"Legal teams for the NFL and players have met for three days at a Minneapolis-area law firm under the auspices of U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan, marking the first time that owners and players haven't been involved in the clandestine talks.

But owners and players will return to the proceedings Thursday.

A number of owners and players arrived Wednesday in the Twin Cities to prepare for scheduled talks that will include NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith and the legal teams. The parties are scheduled to meet only on Thursday for now, but they're prepared to continue into Friday if it's deemed necessary to help the league-imposed lockout, which is in its fourth month."