Is the National Football League lockout causing trouble with the law for players? - Part 1
Ever since the National Football League and players union dissolved talks for a new collective bargaining agreement, there have been problems. First of all, there is a chance that there will be no 2011 NFL season. On top of that, when the league and union
stopped its talks, the NFL Players Association dissolved itself as a union and the league then imposed a lockout on its players on March 11.
The next day, ten players filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against the league, claiming that the NFL teams deny the players’ talents to sell them for their services "through a patently unlawful group boycott and price-fixing arrangement or, in the alternative,
a unilaterally imposed set of anticompetitive restrictions on player movement, free agency, and competitive market freedom."
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are players who want to prepare for the 2011 season and continue playing, but cannot because of the lockout. The plaintiffs include the New England Patriots’ two-time league Most Valuable Player and two-time Super Bowl MVP quarter-back
Tom Brady, the Indianapolis Colts’ four-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl XLI MVP quarter-back Peyton Manning and New Orleans Saints Super Bowl XLIV MVP quarter-back Drew Brees, among seven others.
The seven others are Texas A&M University line-backer Von Miller, who will take part in this year’s Draft, Kansas City Chiefs line-backer Mike Vrabel, New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora, New England Patriots guard Logan Mankins, Minnesota Vikings
defensive end Brian Robison and line-backer Ben Leber and San Diego Chargers receiver Vincent Jackson.
The fact that a lockout has been imposed creates a major problem for players and teams. Players because they have too much free time on their hands and have gotten into trouble since the lockout began, and teams because they have to deal with fines and punishments
when, and if, a new collective bargaining agreement is in place.
Since the lockout began on March 11, ten different players have been arrested and for various reasons. In this series of articles, we will be taking a look at the ten players and what they did to cause them to be arrested and charged for everything from
reckless driving and public intoxication to possession of drugs and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
But why exactly have there been so many problems? Usually at this time, players would be training and getting ready for the 2011 season, but as they are not allowed to have contact with teams, they cannot prepare and everyone is enjoying a little vacation
time, so it is even harder to organise private practice sessions.
Had there been a new collective bargaining agreement, players would not be doing drugs or driving drunk, since there are drug tests and penalties imposed for violations of the league’s personal conduct policy. On top of that, there have been several domestic
disputes and had players been at training facilities rather than at home where their problems originate, there would be no problems.
For find out who had legal troubles and what they were, check out the next part of this article.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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