{"id":410096,"date":"2011-04-30T13:05:39","date_gmt":"2011-04-30T13:05:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/04\/30\/nfl-locks-out-players-again-ap\/"},"modified":"2011-04-30T13:05:39","modified_gmt":"2011-04-30T13:05:39","slug":"nfl-locks-out-players-again-ap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/04\/30\/nfl-locks-out-players-again-ap\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL locks out players again (AP)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP)\u2014The wildest week in NFL history had one more twist at the end and it means football is off limits again.<\/p>\n

The NFL locked out its players Friday night after its first legal victory in the fight with the players over the future of the $9 billion business.<\/p>\n

The players who showed up smiling and relieved to be back at work Friday morning are now cooling their heels. The ups and downs of the day\u2014and the weeks and months of this labor dispute\u2014may be taking their toll with the first preseason game little more than three months away.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell leaves the federal courthouse in Minneapolis last week.
(AP)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s crazy and it\u2019s really, really making it difficult to plan,\u201d Bengals quarterback Jordan Palmer<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> said. \u201cIt\u2019s just really hectic. Everybody I\u2019ve talked to is very thrown off by the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raiders quarterback Bruce Gradkowski<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> vented on Twitter: \u201cGosh I just wanna get back to work and play! I feel bad for our fans having to put up with this.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Place your vote on Grudge Judge<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The day began with dozens, if not hundreds, of players reporting to team facilities all over the league. They met with coaches, picked up playbooks and went through workouts for the first time since they were locked out after talks for a new collective bargaining agreement broke down March 11.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the players\u2019 standpoint I think everybody is pleased we\u2019re not locked out anymore, especially the rookies,\u201d Patriots quarterback Tom Brady<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> said on CNBC in his first public comments about the dispute since he became a plaintiff in the still-pending federal antitrust lawsuit filed against the owners.<\/p>\n

Not so fast, Tom.<\/p>\n

U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson\u2019s order lifting the 45-day lockout on Monday was temporarily stayed by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis. The NFL made its decision a few hours later.<\/p>\n

Teams \u201chave been told that the prior lockout rules are reinstated effective immediately,\u201d NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told The Associated Press.<\/p>\n

Agent Peter Schaffer said he has advised his clients to abide by the court\u2019s ruling.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t have convenient justice,\u201d Schaffer said. \u201cWhatever the ruling of the day is, it must be followed. So I have told my players to stay away from the facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The appeals court is expected to rule next week on the NFL\u2019s request for a more permanent stay that would last through its appeal of Nelson\u2019s injunction, a process expected to take 6-8 weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody\u2019s happy about any of this,\u201d Green Bay Packers<\/a> general manager Ted Thompson said. \u201cBut it is what it is. The lockout is back into effect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teams had announced plans for organized practices and camps as early as next week, but those have again been put on hold.<\/p>\n

\u201cChaotic,\u201d Vikings receiver Bernard Berrian<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> wrote on Twitter. \u201cI dunno where to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coaches and general managers scrambled to bring their first-round picks in on Friday during what proved to be a brief window of time. They started to give the youngsters crash courses in what they wanted them to work on in the event that the lockout does drag on into the summer.<\/p>\n

Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland said teams had no choice but to \u201cgo with the flow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was good to see the players today, great to see some of those guys, and wish it would have lasted a little longer,\u201d Ireland said.<\/p>\n

The NFL\u2019s victory came in a venue considered more favorable to businesses than the federal courts in Minnesota, though it was a narrow one. The 2-1 decision from a panel of the 8th Circuit included a lengthy dissent from Judge Kermit Bye, who suggested temporary stays should be issued only in emergencies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe NFL has not persuaded me this is the type of emergency situation which justifies the grant of a temporary stay,\u201d Bye wrote.<\/p>\n

Jim Quinn, the lead attorney for the players, downplayed Friday\u2019s order and was heartened by the dissent.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoutine grant of stay and totally expected,\u201d he said. \u201cThe only surprise is that Judge Bye is so strongly against giving them even a tiny stay because the league obviously can\u2019t show it is necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Agents were concerned with how undrafted rookies will find work with teams unable to sign free agents after the draft concludes on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe owners will create a huge injustice to their own GMs and personnel departments if they don\u2019t allow the signing of undrafted free agents,\u201d said agent Joe Linta, whose clients include Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco<\/a>(notes)<\/a>.<\/span> \u201cThey may not care about the players, but they should at least help their own scouts, coaches and personnel people who have worked so hard in the scouting process.\u201d<\/p>\n

The volatile atmosphere is rocking a league that thrives on routine and stability, and it doesn\u2019t figure to settle down soon.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems like you hear something different almost hourly,\u201d Lions defensive end and player rep Kyle Vanden Bosch<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> said. \u201cThis is a difficult situation for everybody involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Attorneys for the players had argued against a stay of Nelson\u2019s order, suggesting that the public and the players, with their short careers, are at far more risk when the business is stalled.<\/p>\n

\u201cProfessional football is part of the fabric of American life,\u201d the attorneys wrote. \u201cBecause the uncontroverted record of evidence shows that the 2011 season could be canceled or significantly curtailed without an injunction in place, a stay may deprive the public of professional football altogether.\u201d<\/p>\n

Said Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver: \u201cIt\u2019d be great to have everybody back in the building, but the real thing is we\u2019ve got to get back to the negotiating table and get a CBA.\u201d<\/p>\n

AP Football Writer Barry Wilner and AP Sports Writers Dennis Waszak, Bob Baum, Tom Canavan, Joe Kay, Stephen Hawkins, Janie McCauley, Dennis Waszak, Tom Withers, John Wawrow, Mike Cranston, R.B. Fallstrom, Larry Lage, Mark Long and Joseph White and freelancer Warren Mayes in St. Louis contributed to this report.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Read More:
\nNFL locks out players again (AP)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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