The AFL "is talking to its players in a series of
conference calls this week, trying to persuade them to
abandon the antitrust lawsuit" they filed against the league
last week, according to Mark Singelais of the Albany TIMES
UNION. The lawsuit, which has the "support" of the newly
formed, non-union AFLPA, "seeks free agency and triple the
monetary damages suffered by AFL players in the absence of
free agency." AFL spokesperson David Cooper said, "We want
to continue to educate our players and to try to identify
all of the misrepresentations told by outside lawyers." The
AFL "has maintained that the players are being misled" by a
group of attorneys led by Jeffrey Kessler, who has
represented NBA and several NFL players in past labor
disputes. The league held conference calls with head
coaches and players from 12 of the league's 18 teams on
Monday and Tuesday and more than 400 players participated.
Meanwhile, a group of players led by Nashville Kats QB Andy
Kelly "is trying to form a union." The owners "have
encouraged the players to form a collective bargaining unit
to negotiate labor issues" (Albany TIMES UNION, 2/10).
