The future of the NFL lockout is up in the air as representatives for NFL owners and players gather in Minnesota on Wednesday. The players have filed a preliminary injunction to block the owners’ lockout. The case will be heard by Judge Susan Nelson in St. Paul, Minn. in federal court.
Future Of NFL Lockout Could Be Decided At Court Hearing
A players victory in this case would essentially block the lockout and force the NFL to open their doors. If that happens there’s plenty to still figure including what rules would be govern the league but it would likely be the most recent set of rules (2010 season).
The NFL meanwhile has argued that the NFLPA’s decertification is a sham and would rather have the NLRB rule on a complaint filed earlier this year.
Many legal experts don’t expect a ruling right away. Instead, many expect Nelson to wait a week to several weeks before ruling which could mean we don’t hear anything until after the draft.
The most urgent reason to block the lockout is to A.) get the players paid, B.) conduct offseason workouts and C.) allow free agency to happen. While the owners have large debts to pay on some of their stadiums, the players likely can’t last as long financially, despite the NFLPA’s lockout fund.
Though it’s not as black and white as I’ll make it seem, fans should be pushing for the players to prevail here. That means getting closer to starting free agency, offseason workouts and, eventually, a season.
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