They were actually talking about it before that, when Tagliabue was commissioner.
NFL Mulls 18-Game Schedule
Tagliabue says competitive reasons, not recent injuries, would prompt study into the change.www.latimes.com
I'm talking about when they were seriously moving forward on it. The players had a chance to leverage the concussion controversy but they wasted the opportunity.
As long as the league told them they could make more money they'd forget about their safety.