If the owners continue to push a lockout that has now been ruled illegal and harmful in U.S. District Court, they could end up being sued for damages. If the lockout is lifted by court order and the owners impose rules that restrict player movement and free agency, they could end up being sued for damages. Continuing to fight legal battles they appear unlikely to win could cost the owners considerably more than continuing the old collective bargaining agreement would have cost them.
It does not sound as if they realize this yet. They had this big conference call Monday night to plot strategy and came out of it saying they were still united. If these guys are smart, that will have to be nothing more than brave talk. Right now, the owners should be looking for the quickest and cheapest way out of this mess, and continuing to fight in court is not that way.
Good stuff from Graziano on Judge Susan Nelson’s decision to grant an injunction lifting the NFL lockout.
Baseball season has distracted me from the NFL’s labor dispute of late, but I’m happy the judge seems to be siding with the players. People dismiss the negotiations as “billionaires versus millionaires,” but fail to consider that a) there are many, many NFL players who are decidedly not millionaires and b) even the ones that are millionaires are undertaking a remarkably dangerous job that will provide only five years of healthcare coverage after retirement and a pension that kicks in at 55 even though their average life expectancy is 52. And when you’ve got the type of long-term health issues NFL players often face, paying your own medical expenses is a pretty solid way to burn through your coffers, no matter how large.
Of course, I’m not sure how much this injunction does to assuage those concerns. With 51st street currently lousy with pre-draft hubbub, though, I will say that it’s sort of shocking the NFL didn’t come up with a way to televise and monetize the judge’s ruling. Doritos NFL Injunction Special 2K11, featuring four dudes in shiny suits and hair gel barking about legal proceedings.
Tedquarters 