Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – The NFL went back to work on Tuesday, one day after a judge granted the players an injunction to lift the lockout.
A handful of players reported to team facilities on Tuesday, although many were unable to do much other than walk through the doors.
The NFL has asked U.S. District Court Judge Susan Richard Nelson for a stay of her Monday ruling until the appeal process runs its course. The league said after Monday’s decision that it will file an expedited appeal to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis.
“We are going to proceed in an orderly way that is fair to the teams and players and complies with court orders,” said NFL senior vice president of public relations Greg Aiello in a statement on Tuesday. “Players are being treated with courtesy and respect at club facilities. We do not believe it is appropriate for football activities to take place until there are further rulings from the court. Under the last set of proposals made to the NFLPA, teams wouldn’t even be into offseason programs yet. We need a few days to sort this out, as NFLPA attorney Jim Quinn indicated last night.
Nelson is expected to rule on the league’s motion for a stay later this week.
It is far from business as usual, however, as the league awaits further court decisions. Teams have been told to refrain from contact with players since the lockout began, and the offseason that usually features free agent signings and other transactions have been put on hold.
Only the NFL Draft, which begins Thursday night in New York, will go on as scheduled.
Owners instituted the lockout after talks toward a new collective bargaining agreement broke down on March 11, the day the players disbanded their union. A group of players — including quarterbacks Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts and Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints — filed the injunction request along with an antitrust lawsuit against the league.
The NFL has maintained that the dispute will only end through collective bargaining. Discussions, with a federal mediator again present, are scheduled to resume May 16.
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