In Class Action Suit, NFL Players Claim Draft Breaks Antitrust Law

While speculation over the past few days has centered on whether top NFL Draft prospects will attend the NFL Draft in N.Y. next month, players in the antitrust case filed Friday have alleged that the Draft is a violation of antitrust laws and is illegal. It is not expected that the players in the Tom Brady v. NFL case would try to get an injunction preventing this year's Draft. There is an April 6 hearing on the players’ motion for an injunction against the NFL lockout, but the NFL Draft is not specifically mentioned in that motion.

However, the second legal claim in the class action complaint – filed in U.S. District Court in Minnesota Friday by the Patriots QB, eight other NFLers and NFL prospect and former Texas A&M LB Von Miller – alleges that the April 28-30 NFL Draft itself is a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. The complaint asks for a number of things, including a declaration that the NFL Draft "violates section 1 of the Sherman act, and enjoining said restriction."

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