NFL Owners Granted Stay on Lockout of Players

May 17, 2011

National Football League (NFL) team owners have been permitted to continue their labour lockout of players while awaiting an appeal ruling on their request to overturn a court order for them to end the ban.

The league is appealing U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson’s order directing them to end their embargo on player transactions and access to team facilities, sale | made on April 25. Nelson ruled that the suing players had shown a likelihood they would be irreparably harmed if the lockout continued.

The U.S. Court of Appeals granted the owners’ stay request yesterday, discount May 16, sildenafil citrate sale online enabling them to maintain the player ban, first imposed on March 12, until the panel rules on the merits of the NFL’s challenge to Nelson’s order.

The appeals court panel said in its 2-1 decision: “The district court gave little or no weight to the harm caused to the league by an injunction issued in the midst of an ongoing dispute over terms and conditions of employment.”

On April 29, the same panel, by the same margin, granted a temporary stay of Nelson’s ruling enabling the owners to re-impose their ban.