After waiting over a week for a permanent ruling on the owners' request for a stay on Judge Susan Richard Nelson's grant on injunction, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has granted a permanent stay before they decide the owners' appeal of the injunction, reports ESPN's Adam Schefter.

In April, Judge Nelson granted injunctive relief for the players against the owners' imposition of a lockout. But the owners appealed the decision and then asked for a stay on the ruling, essentially keeping the lockout in place while the appeal was heard. Judge Nelson turned down a stay, which led the owners to ask for the stay from the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. A temporary stay was granted during the NFL Draft, and since then we have waited for a permanent ruling. It was 2-1 decision in favor of the owners

What this means in practical terms for fans is not much. The 8th Circuit Court will not hear the NFL's appeal until June 3 and then a decision will not be reached until early July. However, this does bode well for the owners. Schefter tweeted a key line from the ruling:

Money phrase: On page 11 of today's ruling, judges wrote, "Our present view is that Judge Nelson’s interpretation is unlikely to prevail.”

Fans better brace for some tough times ahead.

Follow this NFL Lockout 2011 stream as this story develops.