Star QBs Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Tom Brady have agreed with several other players to be named as plaintiffs in an antitrust lawsuit the NFLPA plans on filing against the NFL if there is no agreement to extend the deadline for the CBA, sources said. If there is no extension, the NFLPA plans to decertify or disband the union. The union can do this by sending a letter to the NFL. After the decertification letter is sent, the NFLPA can file an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL. If the NFLPA agrees to extend the CBA deadline, it would only do so if its rights to file an antitrust lawsuit were also extended, sources have previously told SportsBusiness Journal.
It is not clear exactly what claims the union would make in the lawsuit, but the plaintffs are expected to include Manning, Brees and Brady, as well as a lot of other NFL players that "people would not expect," one source said. Attempts to reach Tom Condon, who represents Manning and Brees, Brady’s agent Don Yee and NFLPA Assistant Exec Dir for External Affairs George Atallah were unsuccessful.
