Judge Susan Nelson ruled in favor of the players a few days ago, effectively ending the lockout that prevented any free agency, coach-player relations, and any attempt by any NFL franchise to sign any other player.
The NFL filed for a stay, meaning to suspend the ruling from taking practical effect until the issue could be effectively appealed, but this evening, Nelson has denied the stay, ruling that it would unjustly harm players across the league.
The NFL will expedite the appeal to the 8th Circuit, but in the meantime, that means that players can shop, and coaches can talk.
However, you can’t shop yourself unless someone is willing to buy, and coaches won’t talk if the people signing their paychecks tell them not to. And in both situations, the owners are in control of the purse strings.
So the lockout has just taken a fascinating turn. The owners continue to hold an impressive unity in the face of disaster. But once the Draft comes and goes, and 300 new players are added into holdout considerations… it could get really chaotic, really quick.
So unless something unexpected occurs at the 8th Circuit, the league is between a rock and a hard place. The players are legally in the right, and will use this leverage to their benefit. But it takes two to tango, and the owners will likely stall anything that happens in mediation in the hopes that the players will start to feel the financial crush, and lose leverage.
Translation: we could be in for the long haul here. We could also potentially be in for a very short haul. And, of course, things could just get insanely weird.
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