Today the National Football League Coaches Association (“NFLCA”) filed an amicus brief in support of the players, asking the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals to affirm the injunction and lift lockout.
The NFLCA is a nonunion voluntary association that represents the interests of coaches and assistant coaches currently employed by the thirty-two individual National Football League (“NFL”) teams, as well as many retired coaches formerly employed by those NFL teams. The brief stated that these coaches are already experiencing hardship from the NFL’s lockout and are vulnerable to irreparable injury if league operations are suspended for a significant period of time.
Yesterday, a 44-member group of elected officials and business owners filed an amicus brief with the court supporting the players in the litigation. Last week, sports fans and the player associations for the NBA, NHL and MLB filed briefs as well supporting the NFL players effort to end the lockout.
“This injunction is about far more than the paychecks of the players or the fortunes of the owners,” the brief for the business owners stated. “It is also about the livelihoods of the business owners whose livelihoods depend on NFL game day and the taxpayers and elected officials who have committed their scarce resources to the NFL enterprise.”
The group is comprised of 32 elected officials who represent states and localities that host NFL teams or that otherwise depend on NFL-driven revenues and the proprietors of local businesses that depend on game day for their financial survival.
“The NFL is a multi-billion-dollar business, with a significant economic impact on the markets in which its teams are located,” the brief stated. “In addition to employing workers directly, the NFL’s teams also drive business for hotels, restaurants, bars, and other service industries. As a result, the NFL’s lockout threatens the livelihood of thousands of American workers.” Several economic studies supported provided by NFL teams that prove how important NFL games are to local economies were included in the brief.
Last week the Sports Fans Coalition (“SFC”) filed a brief as well in support of the NFL players efforts to lift the lockout. The SFC in its brief said that sports litigation is not simply a fight between rich players and richer owners but that the interests of the sports fans are being ignored.
NFL players have also received support from other athletes across the playing fields. Player associations for MLB, NBA & NHL filed briefs supporting the ending of the lockout and the ability of the players to play football.
A three judge panel from the Appeals Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on whether to lift the lockout or to keep the injunction in place on June 3. The antitrust litigation in Brady vs. NFL is still pending before Judge Nelson.
