NFLPA Files Collusion Lawsuit Against NFL, Owners

[Coff]

Perhaps most interesting about all of this is that the NFL and the owners had clearly crossed their legal Ts and doted their legal Is, and seem to be in prime legal position to fight off any challenges from the Skins or Cowboys or from the union. As we have seen, the Skins and Cowboys lost their appeal, and the NFL has a strong position against collusion charges in that (to put it simply, and probably incorrectly) part of the new CBA agreement was that no grievances under the old agreement could be filed. It’s hard not to feel that the NFL has been planning this for years.

But regardless of how secure they feel, it was nonetheless an absolutely asinine move for the owners to pull off. What do they get out of this? Egg on the face of two of the owners they don’t like, and a million and a half extra dollars on their respective teams' cap next year. And what will it cost them? An absolutely acrimonious relationship with the players, the effects of which are going to carry over to the next CBA negotiations and threaten the labor peace the NFL has enjoyed for decades.

Smooth move owners.