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MINNEAPOLIS -- A federal judge backed the NFL players' union over the league on Tuesday in a dispute over television revenue with implications for the looming potential lockout.
U.S. District Judge David Doty ruled that the league violated its agreement with the union in carving out $4 billion for itself in additional television revenue. The union had argued that the league was effectively stockpiling money to prepare for a lockout.
Doty overruled a special master.
"This ruling means there is irrefutable evidence that owners had a premeditated plan to lockout players and fans for more than two years," union spokseman George Attalah said in a statement after Tuesday's ruling. "The players want to play football. That is the only goal we are focused on."
Doty ordered that a hearing be held to determine damages for the players. That hearing wasn't immediately scheduled. The union had asked that the TV money be placed in escrow until the end of any lockout.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello downplayed the significance of the ruling, saying that clubs were "prepared for any contingency."
"Today's ruling will have no effect on our efforts to negotiate a new, balanced labor agreement," Aiello wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
The league's agreement with players expires at midnight Eastern time Thursday night, and owners have said they would institute a lockout if no new agreement is reached.
At a hearing last week, NFL attorney Gregg Levy argued it would be "repugnant to federal labor law" for Doty to intervene in the broadcast rights fees issue. Players' union attorney Jeffrey Kessler countered that the billions in leverage is part of a long-devised lockout plan and that the NFL didn't act in good faith.
Doty said at the hearing that he didn't want to put his "thumb on the scale of the collective bargaining" process.
The union contends the NFL failed to secure "maximum" revenue, as it is required to do, in both 2009 and 2010 when it re-negotiated broadcast contracts with Fox, NBC, ESPN, CBS and DirecTV that included revised "work stoppage" plans. The NFLPA said the work stoppage clauses in particular were struck to guarantee "war chest" income for the NFL, giving it an unfair advantage in the labor talks.
MINNEAPOLIS -- A federal judge backed the NFL players' union over the league on Tuesday in a dispute over television revenue with implications for the looming potential lockout.
U.S. District Judge David Doty ruled that the league violated its agreement with the union in carving out $4 billion for itself in additional television revenue. The union had argued that the league was effectively stockpiling money to prepare for a lockout.
Doty overruled a special master.
"This ruling means there is irrefutable evidence that owners had a premeditated plan to lockout players and fans for more than two years," union spokseman George Attalah said in a statement after Tuesday's ruling. "The players want to play football. That is the only goal we are focused on."
Doty ordered that a hearing be held to determine damages for the players. That hearing wasn't immediately scheduled. The union had asked that the TV money be placed in escrow until the end of any lockout.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello downplayed the significance of the ruling, saying that clubs were "prepared for any contingency."
"Today's ruling will have no effect on our efforts to negotiate a new, balanced labor agreement," Aiello wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
The league's agreement with players expires at midnight Eastern time Thursday night, and owners have said they would institute a lockout if no new agreement is reached.
At a hearing last week, NFL attorney Gregg Levy argued it would be "repugnant to federal labor law" for Doty to intervene in the broadcast rights fees issue. Players' union attorney Jeffrey Kessler countered that the billions in leverage is part of a long-devised lockout plan and that the NFL didn't act in good faith.
Doty said at the hearing that he didn't want to put his "thumb on the scale of the collective bargaining" process.
The union contends the NFL failed to secure "maximum" revenue, as it is required to do, in both 2009 and 2010 when it re-negotiated broadcast contracts with Fox, NBC, ESPN, CBS and DirecTV that included revised "work stoppage" plans. The NFLPA said the work stoppage clauses in particular were struck to guarantee "war chest" income for the NFL, giving it an unfair advantage in the labor talks.