dreamstime.com
After extending the original March 3 lockout date twice, talks between the NFL owners and players have broken off with the players decertifying their union, which is now a
trade association.
The group is seeking an injunction to bar owners from locking out the players, and they likely will be successful. Because there's no longer a union with which to collectively bargain, NFL teams are now in peril of running afoul of antitrust laws.
Owners are still expected to attempt to lock out players, and last month they filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board claiming that the anticipated decertification was a sham.
NFL players, including Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Peyton Manning, have already filed an antitrust suit:
Just after the players' union decertified, the star quarterbacks and seven other players filed suit against the NFL in U.S. District Court, seeking class-action against the league. They also filed a request for an injunction that would keep the NFL and the teams from engaging in a lockout.
For context, this is not the first time the NFLPA has decertified, but it's not without its dangers.
The NFLPA did this 1989 only to reform as a union in 1993. The NFL would claim through the courts that the new move to decertify is a sham based upon the actions that the NFLPA did prior. It also could mean that a new union could be formed while the current one is dissolved setting up a possible power struggle with the players.
Meanwhile, to put yourself in the mindset of an NFL owner, read this.