When labor talks between the players’ union and the league collapsed on Friday, the players decided to decertify their labor union that afternoon. After that, the players filed a 52-page antitrust lawsuit against the NFL team owners, and then the 2011 NFL lockout began.
As gaming industry professionals, football fans, and bettors; some of us cried, some of us pouted and some of us washed our sorrows away with Tiger Blood. We have to be strong, we have to remain hopeful that the billionaires, millionaires and the wannabes of both, will somehow figure this thing out, and we’ll have football again.
Today, a federal judge set a date of April 6 for hearing that will decide whether to lift lockout, but it won’t Judge Doty making the call. Even though the honourable judge Doty has presided over NFL matters for the better half of two decades, he won’t be getting the call on this matter, that honor will be bestowed upon District Judge Susan Richard Nelson.
At least we still have the draft. At least that’s the thought that used to comfort me, until ESPN reported that NFL draft picks are being encouraged to boycott the NFL Draft. Boycott your draft day? Does it get any worse than that? The answer is YES! I know we like to focus on how badly this will affect the gaming industry, but truth be told everyone, including local economies will be heavily impacted the longer this lockout lasts.
