New York ? The NFL and its players made progress in labor negotiations Tuesday at an undisclosed location in Maryland.

A person with knowledge of the talks told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the two sides are headed in the right direction and that lawyers for the owners and players “are back in the room” after being excluded from sessions the past two weeks.

Two other people familiar with the talks say the framework for a new collective bargaining agreement could be in place before the owners’ meetings next Tuesday in Chicago. Owners have been told by the league to prepare to stay beyond one day in Chicago.

NBA

Labor talks move ahead

New York — NBA Commissioner David Stern and deputy commissioner Adam Silver met with players’ association executive director Billy Hunter and members of their staffs Tuesday, and there are more discussions planned for later this week.

The owners and players are negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement to replace the deal that expires June 30.

The sides met three times during the NBA finals. They remain far apart, creating fear there will be a lockout on July 1.

College Football

Pryor apologizes, kind of

Miami Beach, Fla. — Terrelle Pryor has apologized to Ohio State and former Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel, saying he’s “sorry for my conduct off the field.”

Speaking out for the first time since his college career came to a scandalous end, Pryor and agent Drew Rosenhaus appeared at a news conference Tuesday. Neither took questions, and after each gave a statement, Rosenhaus stood up and told Pryor they were leaving. While Pryor acknowledged mistakes, he did not say what they specifically were.

Pryor left school after already being suspended by Ohio State and the NCAA for the first five games of the 2011 season for accepting improper benefits in the form of cash and discounted tattoos from a Columbus tattoo-parlor owner.

NHL

Cup to be hoisted tonight

Vancouver — Less than an hour after his team missed a chance to clinch the Stanley Cup in a blowout loss, Daniel Sedin was confident enough to guarantee his Vancouver Canucks will beat the Boston Bruins in Game 7 tonight.

“We’re going to win Game 7,” Sedin told the Vancouver Sun. “We’re 3-3 and we won all three games at home and we have the fourth game at home. So we have the seventh game at home and we’ll take that. We are confident.”

The home team has won every game in this otherwise unpredictable finals. The Canucks hope to win their first NHL title, while Boston is close to ending a 39-year drought.