APNewsBreak: Former NFL Players Join Lockout Fight

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By AMY FORLITI

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Four former NFL players, including Hall of Fame defensive end Carl Eller, sued the NFL on Monday in hope of joining current players in their antitrust fight against the league and halting the lockout.

Eller, three-time All-Pro running back Priest Holmes and ex-players Obafemi Ayanbadejo and Ryan Collins are listed as plaintiffs in the 44-page complaint filed in federal court in Minneapolis.

It seeks class-action status on behalf of all retired or former NFL players who receive health, retirement or other benefits from the league or its subsidized plans, arguing those benefits will be jeopardized by the loss of NFL revenue in an extended lockout.

The suit was also filed on behalf of potential rookie players, arguing the lockout would harm them by increasing injury risk if they're unable to play in games and stiffening the competition if they must enter the league a year later with another pool of rookies. The lawsuit asks the court to stop the 2011 NFL draft until the alleged antitrust violations are resolved.

Read more: http://sports.excite.com/news/03282011/v1499.html

[cstanleytech]

1. Shouldnt they actually sue both the NFL and

the union for the players?

[Omaha Steve]

2. Remember when a member of the pre fab four Stig accidentally sued himself?

http://www.rutles.org/rstory2.html

In December 1970 Dirk sued Stig and Nasty, Barry sued Dirk, Nasty sued Stig and Barry, and Stig sued himself accidentally. It was the end of a golden era, and the beginning of another one for lawyers everywhere.

[rpannier]

3. The UNion has been decertified

It can't be sued

NFL Players Union decertified to allow the player to pursue their own legal actions. The Union provides advise and is still a defacto operation to assist the players

[cstanleytech]

4. So does the union exist still or not? if not then

how could it be providing advise and assisting the players?
If it exists then the former players should be suing it or maybe whoever decided to decertify it.

[nyy1998]

5. Here's a link to an interesting article about this lawsuit, it looks like they're suing them to

weaken the NFL's argument against the players:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AlY2FLjTvpso21Fd2iFOHY45nYcB?slug=dw-wetzel_retired_players_file_antitrust_suit_against_NFL_032811

[cstanleytech]

6. If they (the players) are being treated so badly

why dont they just pool their money to form their own league and their own teams and tell the owners of the NFL teams to go to hell?