The NFL Players Association has filed for decertification, paving the way for a work stoppage that the Associated Press calls “a near certainty.”
The NFLPA announced Friday that it has “renounced its status as the exclusive collective bargaining representative” of NFL players, and will instead “move forward as a professional trade association” (cincinnati.com 3/11/11).
The move allows individual players to file suit against the NFL. Friday, a group of NFL players, including Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, filed an antitrust suit against the league. In addition, the players sought “an injunction that would keep the NFL and the teams from engaging in a lockout” (abcnews.go.com, 3/11/11).
The current NFL collective bargaining agreement expires at 11:59 PM Friday.
(Associated Press via San Jose Mercury News)
