The NFL’s players claimed an early points victory in their fight with team owners on Monday, but there was still no immediate end in sight to the long and increasingly bitter row over how to carve up the US$9 billion empire.
A federal court judge in Minnesota ordered the NFL to end their six-week lockout of the players, saying that the league’s actions were hurting not only the players but fans alike.
“The public interest represented by the fans of professional football, who have a strong investment in the 2011 season, is an intangible interest that weighs against the lockout,” Judge Susan Nelson wrote in an 89-page ruling released on Monday.
“In short, this particular employment dispute is far from a purely private argument over compensation,” she wrote.
Judge Nelson dismissed the NFL’s argument that the decertification of the players’ union was a sham but the league refused to concede defeat.
As soon as the ruling was announced, the NFL formally requested a stay and appealed the ruling to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing the federal court could not rule on the union’s decertification and that was a matter for the National Labor Relations Board.
“We believe that federal law bars injunctions in labor disputes,” the NFL said in a statement. “We are confident that the Eighth Circuit will agree.”
If the Eighth Circuit Court agrees to hear the league’s appeal and issues a stay on Nelson’s ruling, the case would be expected to drag on for months, possibly threatening to disrupt the start of the next NFL season, scheduled for early September.
However, if the court rejected the appeal, the NFL would have to immediately recommence business, although exactly how remained uncertain.
DeMaurice Smith, an executive director of the NFL Players Association, welcomed the ruling and said he expected the judge’s decision would stand up against an appeal.
“I’m happy for our players and for our fans. Today, those who love football are the winners,” he said.
There were celebrations as well from some players. The social networks were lit up by players and fans jubilantly declaring victory but not everyone was popping the champagne corks.
Osi Umenyiora, the New York Giants defensive end who was one of the plaintiffs that had asked the court to grant an injunction against the lockout, said he did not think Monday’s decision marked the end of the dispute.
“The lockout is bad for everyone, and players will continue to fight it,” Umenyiora said. “We hope that this will bring us one step closer to playing the game we love.”
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