Federal mediator George Cohen traveled back to Washington D.C. from New York this morning, hoping he will return to New York one day soon to continue trying to help save the 2011-12 NBA season.
“All labor disputes come to an end,” Cohen told The Post in a phone interview. “And some day, there will be an agreement or otherwise there wouldn’t be an enterprise anymore. We are ready willing and able to assist parties in the future and hopefully they will do it and we can have a peaceful resolution of their dispute.”
Cohen, a Long Beach native and former Brooklyn Dodger fan, mediated with the NBA ownership group and Players Association for a total of 30 hours over three days, including one 16-hour session that lasted until 2 a.m. Talks broke off last night without a deal and with no future talks planned. Union director Billy Hunter said he hopes Cohen, a presidential appointee, can help down the road.
“I’m fine, we stayed up late like the media did,” Cohen said. “We were running on adrenaline, but you are a little demoralized.”