NFLPA Files Collusion Lawsuit Against NFL, Owners

[CRedskinsRule]

Originally Posted by HoopheadVII

I understand what they're claiming. I just don't find it believable.

It's not a matter of claiming, who cares if they knew ahead of March 12th, fact is they had no actionable facts to lay before a judge and say, here is the proof of collusion until Goodell, and later, Mara, made statements validating there beliefs.

Look if I believe that two local gas companies are fixing the price at the pump, I may see the trend early on, but I can't go to the courts, just because every monday station 1 puts up a penny lower price, and every thursday station 2 puts up a penny lower price. But if station 1 owner comes out one day, and says I am having a sale on Thursday, and the media asks him why, he says "because station 2 owner didn't keep to his side of the bargain", then the consumers could take the data of Monday/Thursday price fixing, and tied with Station owner 1's foot in mouth statement and sue the bejeebus out of both of them. It's not the media report that is the proof, it is the statement that is the basis of the media report. Further, if the judge says that looks shady, then the consumers and their lawyers could dig and ask for emails/communications that might further prove the depth of the collusion.

Just because the initial complaint doesn't lay out time/date/medium doesn't mean that Kessler and the other NFLPA lawyers won't go back now and start looking for trends and actions that are clearer in hindsight.

Back to my example, lets say station 1 owner and station 2 owner met in October 2010 and had some emails arranging that meeting, but not specifically discussing the collusion, and then in Jan 2011 met and agreed to begin in February 2011. At the time, the consumers might be curious, but have no direct information, or detectable pattern of behavior that would allow for further discovery. But after Station 1 owner's statement, the lawyers go back, see the emails about the meeting in Oct., then find that they met again in January, and the detectable price fixing pattern began in February. Maybe it's enough in court to convict, maybe not, but the consumers would absolutely have enough to make a media circus and living hell for the two station owners until they did something to make the consumers "forgive" them.

If the NFLPA gets to that point, we very well may see a whole new labor agreement, that is more favorable to the players. Remember, Kessler is an absolute free market, no salary cap, no restrictions period attack dog.