Antitrust Suit Filed for NFL Players

A class-action antitrust suit on behalf of NFL players who claim they were restricted by the first-refusal compensation system was filed against the league in federal court Thursday in Washington.

Named as parties to the suit were all veteran players whose contracts expired Feb. 1, 1989, and were subjected to the compensation system unilaterally imposed by NFL clubs that year.

Two players--Albert Lewis of the Kansas City Chiefs and Wayne Radlof, formerly of the Atlanta Falcons--were named as class representatives.

“This case is as important as any filed thus far, since it covers the entire group of 250-plus players who were unlawfully restricted in 1989,” said Dick Berthelsen, general counsel for the NFL Players Assn. “Conservatively, treble damages for the group could exceed $300 million.”

The NFL said in a statement: “Today’s suit is a day late and a dollar short. The facts are that the league filed suit on this same subject in Minnesota two days ago to confirm that an Eighth Circuit ruling in 1989 already bars the very claims filed in Washington, D.C., today.

“The league’s suit on Oct. 15 seeks a declaratory judgment to confirm that Plan B was exempt from antitrust laws during the 1989 season, as determined by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.”