A group of 28 retired NFL players, led by Carl Eller, filed a federal class-action lawsuit on Tuesday against the NFL Players Association, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and former NFL player Mike Vrabel.
Eller and his group of retired players had previously sued both the NFL and the NFLPA. Once it became clear that the NFL owes retired players nothing beyond what they had negotiated when they were playing, the Eller lawsuit was eventually dismissed.
The new suit filed this week doesn’t target the league, but instead targets the NFLPA and individuals involved from the players’ side. This suit claims that once the NFLPA decertified in March, just prior to the NFL lockout, the defendants had no authority to negotiate and agree to terms on behalf of retired NFL Players
The suit seeks a declaration that the right to negotiate with the League the rights and benefits for NFL retirees rests with the Eller plaintiffs, on behalf of all former players. The stated goal of the suit, according to the group’s attorney Michael Hausfeld, as reported by Yahoo Sports, is to “readjust the deal to better reflect the interest of the retirees.”
The Eller group includes 23 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, including Eller, Chuck Bednarik, Dan Hampton, Paul Krause, Lemuel Barney, Mel Renfro and Elvin Bethea.
