Pro Football

Former Patriot owner Sullivan is back in a Providence, R.I., court trying to revive his $348-million antitrust lawsuit against the NFL.

A federal magistrate ruled in August that the NFL does not have enough business connections in Rhode Island for Sullivan to sue in the state. Sullivan wants U.S. District Judge Francis Boyle to overrule that decision. Boyle gave no indication when he will rule.

Sullivan wants a trial in Providence because it could be heard there as early as February, his lawyer, Joseph Alioto, said.

“In Boston, we might get a trial a year from now,” said Alioto, who has successfully challenged NFL rules on antitrust grounds three times since 1957. He won an $18-million judgment against the league for trying to block Raider owner Al Davis from moving his team to Los Angeles from Oakland.