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.
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