Menu
Leagues and Governing Bodies

NFL Lockout Watch, Day 18: Group Of Retired NFL Players Sues League

A group of retired players sued the NFL for antitrust violations yesterday, asking their case be joined with the one filed by active players and that the court stop next month's NFL Draft. The group, led by Carl Eller, charged, "The admitted purpose of this group boycott (lockout) is to coerce Plaintiffs and the other players to agree to a new anticompetitive system of players restraints that will, inter alia, drastically reduce prospective player compensation levels and benefit levels for retired or former players." The suit, filed in the same Minnesota federal court hearing the active players' antitrust lawsuit, seeks to represent the incoming rookies as well. Other members of the class include Priest Holmes, Obafemi Ayanbadejo and Ryan Collins (Daniel Kaplan, SportsBusiness Journal). YAHOO SPORTS' Dan Wetzel reported Eller v. NFL is "similar to the current Brady, et al v. NFL," though it is "based on a potentially clever legal maneuver that could box the league into a corner and prove a significant development in ending pro football’s nearly month-long labor impasse." The former players' suit also "covers draft-eligible prospects," who are not represented by the NFLPA under the previous CBA. As such, these plaintiffs "could potentially avoid one of the league's chief counterarguments against the Brady lawsuit -- that the union illegally decertified" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 3/28). Michael Hausfeld, the lead attorney on the lawsuit, said that the claim "argues that draft-eligible players who will not be drafted for another month are subject to antitrust violations by clubs because once they are drafted, they will immediately be locked out and will later be subject to a system with a salary cap, and limits on free agency." Hausfeld said of incoming, current and former players, "Given the fact the union decertified, there are three separate interests now. The first and third of those interests want to have their own voice, because they are not covered by the defense raised by owners." Hausfeld said that he "would file papers Tuesday seeking the injunction to block the lockout, but the lawsuit he has filed seeks no damages" (Judy Battista, N.Y. TIMES, 3/29).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2011/03/29/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/NFL-Retired-Players.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2011/03/29/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/NFL-Retired-Players.aspx

CLOSE