Judge grants injunction on lockout

Pro football might not resume operations just yet, but a federal judge's ruling late Monday at least raised the possibility that the NFL's lockout will end sooner rather than later.

In Minneapolis, Judge Susan Nelson granted a request for an injunction to lift the NFL lockout, which began March 12. But the league has requested that Nelson stay her ruling, allowing the lockout to continue. If Nelson denies the request, the NFL will go to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis to ask that the lockout continue until the league's appeal is heard. An appeal could take up to two months.

The NFL draft, scheduled for Thursday through Saturday, is not affected by Nelson's ruling.

Some players who are under contract might decide to show up Tuesday at their teams' headquarters. A player agent said Monday night that many of those players would report to collect workout bonuses in their contracts. The NFL believes, however, that it has the right to request the stay before players can be allowed to report.

In her ruling, Nelson dismissed the NFL's argument that federal courts are barred from such moves by the Norris-LaGuardia Act of 1932. Nelson also ruled that the NFL Players Association's decision to decertify as a union March 11 was allowable under labor law. She shot down the league's argument that the National Labor Relations Board, which is considering a complaint filed by the league of unfair labor practices resulting from bad-faith negotiations by the union, should have final say over the union's decertification.

"The nation's labor laws have always applied only where an action involves or grows out of a labor dispute," Nelson wrote. "Such a labor relationship exists only where a union exists to bargain on behalf of its members. Where those employees effectively renounce the union as their collective-bargaining agent -- and accept the consequences of doing so -- and elect to proceed in negotiating contracts individually, any disputes between the employees and their employers are no longer governed by federal labor law."

In a statement released Monday night, the NFL said it will "promptly seek a stay from Judge Nelson pending an expedited appeal to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. We believe that federal law bars injunctions in labor disputes. We are confident that the Eighth Circuit will agree."

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The NFL also said it wants to resume talks on the collective- bargaining agreement with the hope of seeking a long-term solution to the league's labor issues.

"We also believe that this dispute will inevitably end with a collective-bargaining agreement, which would be in the best interests of players, clubs and fans," the statement said. "We can reach a fair agreement only if we continue negotiations toward that goal. The NFL is now expected to bring the case to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and request a stay."

NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith hailed Nelson's decision. "I'm happy for our players and for our fans," he said. "Today, those who love football are the winners."

Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora, one of the named plaintiffs in the antitrust case against the NFL, said the ruling is "a win for the players and for the fans that want to see a full NFL season in 2011. The lockout is bad for everyone and players will continue to fight it. We hope that this will bring us one step closer to playing the game we love."

Attorney Jim Quinn, who argued the case on the players' behalf, said he believes the injunction will remain in place. "We are confident that this ruling will withstand any appeals," he said.

The players' group includes quarterbacks Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, as well as Umenyiora and six others. Retired players, including Carl Eller and Priest Holmes, also joined the suit.