NFLPA Files Collusion Lawsuit Against NFL, Owners

[SmootSmack]

Well I had heard a couple of days ago this might happen and now it has

Redskins-related

Cites Mara

https://www.nflplayers.com/Articles/...st-NFL-Owners/

[CRedskinsRule]

WOW, That brings all of SBXVII's arguments to the forefront. Doubt it helps us at all, but I hope Mara gets his words shoved back down his throat.

[JoeRedskin]

Yup. THIS is the nuclear option that so many were talking about. In light of Mara's comments, I think the NFL is going to have a tough row to hoe on this one. The NFL won't be getting a dismissal before discovery on this one methinks.

The key is that it is a new claim that was not settled by the omnibus settlement that was a precondition of the new CBA.

Danny and Jerry gotta be thinking "That's what you get assholes". For those who thought a bag of flaming dog poop on Mara's step was appropriate -- the NFLPA just delivered it for you.

At the same time, I'm with CRed - I don't think it ends up helping us at all.

[mbedner3420]

Does this mean we are going to get our money back?

[Monksdown]

http://www.realredskins.com/files/nflpa-suit.pdf

Here is the actual filing. Provided by Rich Tandler.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by mbedner3420

Does this mean we are going to get our money back?

No it means this list of lawyers will get a butt full of $$$$$$$$.

The players and the NFLPA will be represented in these proceedings by Jeffrey Kessler, David Feher and David Greenspan of Winston & Strawn, LLP; James Quinn of Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP; David Barrett, James Barrett, Daniel Schecter, Thomas Heiden and Michael Nelson of Latham & Watkins, LLP; Barbara Berens of Berens & Miller, P.A.; Mark Jacobson of Lindquist & Vennum, PLLP and DeMaurice Smith, Executive Director of the NFLPA.

[Monksdown]

My favorite part:

27. As to the other four Clubs – the Redskins, Cowboys, Raiders, and Saints – it
recently has come to light that they refused, at least to some extent, to abide by their
collusive conspiracy with the NFL and the other Owners, and exceeded the secret,

collusive $123 million salary cap during the 2010 League Year.

[mooby]

I'm with Joe and CR on this one, as long as it doesn't hurt us I don't care about this lawsuit but at the same time I don't see us gaining anything from this.

[Monksdown]

I definitely care about the lawsuit. I take #Mora's response to the penalty personally. And i'm very happy that he is so richly quoted in the filing. What an idiot.

[JoeRedskin]

Originally Posted by mbedner3420

Does this mean we are going to get our money back?

Not likely. The only specific relief sought by the NFLPA is monetary damages against the NFL and the 32 clubs (If the NFLPA wins, I would expect Snyder to have to pitch in on payment of any penalty).

The Court may say that the penalty imposed was improper and reverse of its own accord under the generic request that the Court grant "such other and further relief as the Court deems just and proper". I find it highly unlikely that a court would do so simply b/c the only benefit would be to teams that participated in some level of collusive behavior (i.e. not telling the players about the secret agreement).

[JoeRedskin]

Also - and so long as it doesn't stop me from seeing RGIII light up the field - I hope the court hands the NFL owners their ass.

Just so you know, the suit doesn't exempt the Skins, Cowboys, Saints and Raiders from the collusion, it just asserts that those teams "did not fully abide by secret NFL rules to suppress player salaries in 2010."

https://images.nflplayers.com/mediaR.../files/pdf.pdf at Paragraph 2 (emphasis added).

[CRedskinsRule]

And if they win it, it means the next CBA battle will be fought on VERY different terms.

[BigHairedAristocrat]

Originally Posted by CRedskinsRule

And if they win it, it means the next CBA battle will be fought on VERY different terms.

regardless i think it will be fought on very different terms. The NFLPA has been distrustful of the NFL for a while (remember all the concerns regarding the NFLs refusal to open its books?). Now there are additional points to cause distrust:

1. The League knew the salary cap would go DOWN this year; yet negotations were based on the understanding that it would go UP every year
2. When the NFLPA realized the Cap would go down in 2012, the NFL strong-armed them into agreeing to penalize the redskins and cowboys in exchange for deferring future cap money to 2012
3. During the discussions regarding the penalty, the NLFPA became aware that some collusion occured.
4. the NFLPA subsequently discovered that the NFL lied about the extent of hte collusion

Any goodwill the NFL built with the NFLPA in the recent discussions is completely gone. GONE. No doubt, the discovery process of this lawsuit will only uncover more of Goddell and the league's lies.

In the last CBA discussions, the NFL had all the leverage. I fully expect that to change in the new discussions, regardless of the outcome of this suit.

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by BigHairedAristocrat

In the last CBA discussions, the NFL had all the leverage. I fully expect that to change in the new discussions, regardless of the outcome of this suit.

The outcome is very important. While I do believe the next set of negotiations will be different and the NFLPA may have more leverage, if the league somehow loses this then the NFLPA has ALL the leverage in the next CBA. They'll have dinged the league for a massive amount of money that could stock up a "work stoppage" fund to help players financially and public sentiment will largely if not entirely rest on their side.

I SMH at the NFL big time for totally screwing the pooch on this. They basically made it so the NFLPA had to do this. The were so overly public about it. The NFLPA could have just looked the other way behind the scenes but once all the players kwen this had happened they were forced to respond in some manner.

[JoeRedskin]

I have to do a retract of my "certainty" that it won't make it past a motion to dismiss. The omnibus settlement apparently contained a clause indicating that the NFLPA gave up all claims "known and unknown" relating to claims of collusion. I am pretty certain that this is a broadly read clause and it is certainly what the NFL will hang its hat on.