Judge grants motion, lifts lockout; owners' appeal coming

[Swarley]

Mort just mentioned on "On the Clock" that if the appeal is denied we could very well see FA and Trading starting on Draft day. That would be so epic!

[sportscurmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Dirtbag59

Okay well now I'm not sure if I was right or not about what happens after the judge lifts the lockout. On one hand I got the obvious part right in that the NFL would appeal. However I wonder if what I was told (mini-camps and free agency in June at the earliest assuming the NFL looses on appeal) will hold up.

At the very least it looks like existing players will be allowed to use the facilities again to workout and train.

The owners have the right under existing labor law to set work standard rules. Even if you belong to a union, the company you work for has certain basic standards that have to apply to all workers.

So, what are the chances that the owners will come up with a set of basic work rules that the players will willingly work under? My guess is the probability is zero.

In that case, it goes back to the courts/the mediators/the NLRB/the Society of People Pre-disposed To Be Pissed Off By Everything.

This is not nearly over until there is a CBA. And there is not going to be a CBA in the next week or so...

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by BigHairedAristocrat

Well the 2011 draft was agreed upon as part of the last CBA.

But last year's player movement rules were also agreed upon within a CBA so re-imposing them should be somewhat uncontroversial. Not beyond antitrust law - again I agree with you there - but acceptable as part of a kind of gentleman's agreement.

The players (aside from lawyer Kessler) are not complaining about everything that they could complain about under antitrust law. If they did, we might as well kiss the 2011 season goodbye now, because those antitrust issues (such as unrestricted free agency for everyone not under contract or no draft) could not be resolved any time soon.

[CultBrennan59]

So when does FA start??

[musicmaster45]

Originally Posted by CultBrennan59

So when does FA start??

Thats what i want to know. God that could make draft day so much simpler.

[Swarley]

Source: Coaches told not to speak to players

Like I said, this is about to get wacky

[Ruhskins]

Looks like the league changed their minds, at least in regards to allowing players into the facilities:

Rick Maese
RT @AlbertBreer: NFL spokesman Greg Aiello says that if players show up to team facilities in the morning, they will be allowed in.

[hooskins]

ohh emm gee, 1-0 players.

[Darrell_Green_28]

Yeah the will be allowed IN the building, but not access to the weight room, etc.... so just like an open house. walk around and look type access.

[mlmdub130]

Originally Posted by Dirtbag59

Okay well now I'm not sure if I was right or not about what happens after the judge lifts the lockout. On one hand I got the obvious part right in that the NFL would appeal. However I wonder if what I was told (mini-camps and free agency in June at the earliest assuming the NFL looses on appeal) will hold up.

At the very least it looks like existing players will be allowed to use the facilities again to workout and train.

they are allowed at the faciliteis but cannot use the weight room or training facilities from what i just heard on the news. makes sense to me :cheeky-sm

[mlmdub130]

Originally Posted by Darrell_Green_28

Yeah the will be allowed IN the building, but not access to the weight room, etc.... so just like an open house. walk around and look type access.

yeah heard the same thing, i guess they don't want the players to forget the layout of the buildings?

[MTK]

Ten things to know, right now, about the lockout ruling | ProFootballTalk

Winning on appeal will be an uphill climb for the NFL | ProFootballTalk

NFL needs to revisit its legal strategies and tactics | ProFootballTalk

[mlmdub130]

gotta love zo, atleast they tried to show up

Redskins' Lorezno Alexander says GM told him no workouts allowed - The Huddle: Football News from the NFL - USATODAY.com

[Alvin Walton]

DeMaurice Smith was just on Mike and Mike, the guy is a little weasel.
Mike was mostly pushing for an answer regarding trades and FA on draft day happening and all Smith would say is that the owners are losers and they lost in this they lost in that blah blah blah...what an annoying little lawyer twerp.

[Ruhskins]

Originally Posted by Alvin Walton

DeMaurice Smith was just on Mike and Mike, the guy is a little weasel.
Mike was mostly pushing for an answer regarding trades and FA on draft day happening and all Smith would say is that the owners are losers and they lost in this they lost in that blah blah blah...what an annoying little lawyer twerp.

Well it wouldn't matter because it would be up to the league to figure out when and if trades would happen.

Honestly, at this point I just don't how much one could support the owners. Not that I'm going to blindly be behind the side of the players. But I feel that their insistence on continuing the lockout is affecting many people and the teams themselves.

Right now you have no free agency, preventing teams from signing players or dealing for players. Teams have altered their draft play because of no free agency. These two things are going to have a negative effect on a lot of teams, and not just for the next season I feel.

You teams with new coaching staffs that won't be able to gameplan and hold practices, which I am sure will affect the team's performance this season. Even with established teams like the Packers and the Patriots, I'm sure not having training camp is going to have an effect.

Finally, you have your run of the mill player and your average league employee who is not earning a paycheck and/or will need to take a paycut.

I know that the lockout gives the owners a bargaining chip, but they are screwing a lot of people, even their own league/team employees in the process. And for a number of franchise, they are sacrificing performance in the upcoming season and probably a number of seasons to come.