Collective Bargaining Negotiations Break Down for NFL and Players

Interesting play call.  As collective bargaining negotiations broke down yesterday between the National Football League and Players Association, the players took the unusual move of decertifying their union so that they could file an anti-trust lawsuit against the NFL in federal court in Minneapolis.  A copy of the lawsuit, which seeks an injunction, is attached.  Brady, et al v NFL – Complaint.pdf

This New York Times Article by Judy Battista summarizes the disputed issues.

This Q & A fact sheet from the NFL summarizes the key components of the collective bargaining agreement from the NFL’s perspective.

Here is the actual collective bargaining agreement.

It will be interesting to see how this dispute plays out in the public, especially in light of the timing of these events.