Falcons owner: There will be pro football in 2011

ATLANTA (AP) - Falcons owner Arthur Blank says there will be professional football in 2011 in Atlanta.

Blank and the Falcons were honored by the Georgia Legislature on Tuesday for their third consecutive winning season. He says he hopes to build on last season’s success, but the NFL is mired in labor strife.

There is a hearing April 6 in Minnesota in the lawsuit filed by Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and six other NFL players in the ongoing lockout. The lack of negotiations has cast doubt about the upcoming NFL season.

Blank told lawmakers that he would be remiss if he didn’t say that in 2011, “we will have professional football in Atlanta.”

The Atlanta owner says he is disappointed that the NFL and its players are at a stalemate and that he is committed to finding “a winning, sustainable agreement.”