Times wires
Monday, March 21, 2011
MINNEAPOLIS — The NFL asked a federal judge Monday to keep its lockout in place, claiming there are no legal grounds to stop it while accusing the players of trying to manipulate the law with an antitrust lawsuit.
The NFL filed its arguments in federal court in St. Paul, Minn., where U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson has scheduled an April 6 hearing on the players' request to stop the lockout. The injunction request was filed the same day as an antitrust lawsuit by Tom Brady, Drew Brees and seven other NFL players against the league March 11.
The NFL said a decision on a lockout must wait until the National Labor Relations Board rules on an unfair labor practice charge against the now-dissolved players' union. The NLRB said the case is under investigation.
In arguing that Congress has barred judges from halting lockouts, the league cited Depression-era legislation with the intent of limiting employers' ability to crack down on unions, including their ability to seek court orders halting strikes.
The NFLPA did not respond specifically, but spokesman George Atallah said: "The NFL's actions don't match their words. They say they want a fair deal, but instead they locked out the players and now are trying to preserve that lockout through litigation."