The No Fun League owners have received a collective kick in the balls after US District Court Judge David Doty issued a ruling that prevents them from accessing TV payments in the case of a lockout.
The NFL Players Association, fans, media, gambling industry and just about anyone who really cares about the sport won’t have been able to hide their delight at the news.
It now seems certain that the owners are going to have to return to the negotiations and hammer out some kind of deal due to the fact that they aren’t going to have a pot to piss in if they continue to play hardball.
Yahoo’s Michael Silver posted the following commentary on what may occur:
“I believe we’ll soon have an announcement from the camps that they’ve agreed to a short-term extension of the current CBA beyond March 3 – in the expectation of finalizing a deal over the next week or two.
“In other words, after more than a year of rancorous rhetoric and the sense that a lockout was inevitable, we could have peace, love and harmony between players and owners by the end of the month, and well in advance of next month’s NFL draft. Free agency, minicamps, OTAs, training camp – it could all play out like a typical offseason, with fantasy drafts occurring right on schedule.
“That’s how much power Doty’s ruling may have packed.”
When everyone thought all was lost it does in fact seem as though the NFL owners are finally planning to give an inch and negotiate with the PA. Not because they want to, but because they have to.
