NFL And Players Argue Over Legality Of Lockout

ST. LOUIS – The NFL and its players have wrapped up their arguments on the legality of the three-month-old lockout.

The two sides got an hour before a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis. The NFL contends the lockout imposed by owners after labor talks fell apart on March 11 is legal, while the players do not.

The panel has twice ruled 2-1 to keep the lockout in place pending the full appeal. It did not issue an immediate decision this time, and Judge Kermit Bye smiled as he told the attorneys: ‘We wouldn’t be all that hurt if you go out and settle that case.”

The first scheduled preseason game is only two months away and there is no sign of progress toward a new collective bargaining agreement.