ESPN -- Seven weeks into the NFL lockout, players have an early triumph over the owners in court.
U.S.
District Judge Susan Richard Nelson ordered an immediate end to the
lockout Monday, siding with the players in their bitter fight with the
owners over how to divide the $9 billion business.
The fate of the
2011 season remained in limbo: The NFL responded by filing a notice of
appeal questioning whether Nelson exceeded her jurisdiction, seeking
relief from the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis. Hours
later, the league filed a motion for an expedited stay, meaning it wants
Nelson to freeze her ruling to let the appeals process play out.
What will happen in the next few days is murky, too.
Players
may very well show up at team facilities on Tuesday and it appears
they'll be allowed to enter the building, if they so choose.
The
players' organization -- now a trade association and not a union --
emailed players late Monday night, advising them they are legally
entitled to show up at team facilities Tuesday and that teams are not
allowed to block their access.
The sources said teams were told not to open their weight rooms nor
engage in any contract discussions, but to let their players in the
building. The league also intends to get security in place for players
to come in to avoid any potential confrontations or photo opportunities
for the media. The NFL intends to debrief teams again in the morning
with further instructions.
"I told my guys if they are under
contract, they are allowed to go into the facility tomorrow to work out,
get treatment and watch film," Oakland Raiders tight end Zach Miller said.
"We're
in a 'Wild West' right now. Football is back to business, but guess
what? There's no rules. There's a lot of positive to that, but there's
also a lot of negatives," said linebacker Ben Leber, one of the 10 plaintiffs in the still-pending antitrust lawsuit filed against the league when the union broke up last month.
So basically what I got from reading this is absolutely nothing. The players can enter the facilities and do absolutely nothing when they get inside? They can't workout, talk to coach's, talk about contracts, or participate in any practice. They are basically telling us that the lockout is far from over and that the coach's are going to do whatever they can to drag this thing out. This thing is a joke anyway, these players and coach's make more than we would ever dream of and they are bitching about 8 billion or 9 billion. Come on guys, get on the damn field and play ball.
-Dow
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