When the NFL and the then players union met in Washington DC for 17 days in March under the watchful eye of federal mediator George Cohen, the mediation process was little more than glorified babysitting, with Cohen admitting at the end that neither side had moved toward the other on any of the core issues dividing the two parties.

Now, there is not only a chance the two sides may be forced to sit across from each other with Cohen mediating, but he may actually have some authority to force the process along.

ESPN's Adam Schefter took to his Twitter page Sunday afternoon, and was later backed up by Mike Freeman of CBS Sports, saying that Judge Susan Nelson will soon impose mediation on the NFL's labor talks, most likely sometime early this week.

Nelson will name the venue and who will be in charge of mediation. It makes sense for the talks to be continued to be overseen by Cohen, as he already knows both sides and their arguments intimately. Then again, Nelson may want to try for a fresh venue (ie her court) and a fresh start, considering the contentiousness of the talks up to this point.

The players want mediation in Minneapolis.

The league wants mediation in Washington D.C.

Fans just want mediation to happen, period.

So, for once, no matter what happens - the fans win.