Testimony Ends in NFL Trial; Jury Gets Break

Lawyers for both sides in the NFL antitrust lawsuit in Minneapolis finished presenting witnesses Tuesday, the 34th day of the trial. Federal Judge David Doty scheduled final arguments and final instructions for Sept. 8, with jury deliberations to begin late that day or the next morning.

Today and Thursday will be spent in closed sessions, with the judge considering arguments from the owners and the players concerning his instructions to the eight-woman jury. Doty dismissed the jurors for the six-day break with strict orders not to watch any NFL games this weekend, the opening of the regular season.

The final witness in the case was economist Bruce Owen, who works for the NFL. The players’ lawyers considered calling Minnesota Viking tight end Steve Jordan as a rebuttal witness, but declined after Owen finished testifying. In his testimony, Owen said even though New York Giant defensive back Mark Collins made less money than other players with similar experience at his position, he was not injured by the Plan B system. But Owen, a Washington consultant, hedged a bit when asked about possible antitrust damages affecting the salaries of four of the other players suing the league.

Lawyers for plaintiffs Frank Minnifield, Lee Rouson, Niko Noga and Freeman McNeil contend their clients received smaller raises--or, in McNeil’s case, a salary cut--in 1990 than comparable groups.

When asked whether their relatively small raises meant they were damaged by the Plan B system, Owen said: “If that were the only evidence, yes.”