(EMAILWIRE.COM, April 08, 2011 ) Minneapolis, MN -- U.S. District Court Judge Susan Richard Nelson decided to extend the lockout imposed by the NFL on its players until she comes up with her judgment on the players' request to block it.
Judge Nelson told both parties to go on mediation after hearing the arguments in the Brady V. NFL antitrust lawsuit in St. Paul, Minn while she takes another couple of weeks to discern whether the NFL has the right to impose such lockout on its players and even if she has the legal jurisdiction over the case in the first place, as the owners have argued.
The players have decertified from the union after NFL labor talks broke down last month. It was reported that the players refused a proposal from the league just a few hours before the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement. The league in turn locked out the players.
James Quinn, lead attorney for the players, said, "All of these players are being affected every day by being locked out. [Decertification of the union is] not some kind of tactic. It's the law. It's what we're allowed to do."
On the other hand, the league is calling the decertification of the players from the union a "sham"—a condition before the antitrust lawsuit. David Boies also argued that the owners wanted the case be moved to the National Labor Relations Board, who they deemed was fit to handle the dispute.
In addition, Nelson was quoted saying that the players "appear to have a strong case" when the issue of irreparable financial harm was brought into the court. The NFL doesn't look like they will get back to work fine even after Nelson grants the players' injunction against the lockout. The owners would even probably take things to the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals.
