Per Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com, the NFL Players Association has officially decertified themselves in a Minneapolis court room. The move brings an end to a week of extended talks after Judge David Doty ruled that the NFL could not use TV money to tide themselves over in the event of a lockout.
The NFLPA and NFL had originally set an earlier deadline in the proceedings, but NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith made a public relations-friendly offer to the owners at the last minute: that the NFLPA would extend talks if the NFL handed over ten years of financial data. It was an extremely unlikely play, which means that the NFLPA clearly believes it will have the upper hand in the court system.
The NFLPA will likely seek to file in front of Judge Doty again as they seek an injunction that would force the NFL season to start. Welcome to NFL Court TV, folks. We’ll have more on the story as it happens, but in the meantime, prepare for the NFL Draft and a whole lot of litigation. Time to find our 21st century Johnnie Cochran.