NFLPA Decertification Update
More details have emerged regarding the NFL Labor issue since my previous post on the NFLPA's decertification.It has come out that just minutes after the NFLPA decertified as a union Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Osi Umenyiora and other players have sued the league. Their lawsuit alleges that NFL owners are conspiring to keep salaries down, players from freely moving in free agency and from playing at all. Included in the suit is a Texas A&M player whom has entered into the draft and is fighting the league's desired rookie wage scale. The players have also filed an injunction requesting that the court keep the NFL from locking out the players.
Much of the above was expected. What was not expected however, was the case's assignment to Judge Patrick Schultz, rather than Judge David Doty. Doty had handled much of the NFL labor lawsuits of the past. It is not known how this will impact the upcoming litigation. It should also be mentioned that such a decision does not mean that the case will not end up in Doty's court down the road.
The NFL contends that the union left an unprecedented deal on the table including financial disclosure so rare that the details aren't shared between individual teams. The NFl has expressed concern that the union was never committed to negotiation, choosing instead to take the battle to the courts.
Bad blood between the two sides is beginning to surface and recent developments only serve to increase the possibility of a long, drawn out legal fight.