Will NFL Have to Go to Plan C? : Trial at a Glance

The participants and issues in the NFL antitrust trial:

THE ISSUE The NFL’s free-agency system, known as Plan B. The system allows each team to retain limited rights to 37 players each season. A protected player is unable to sign with another team without giving his former team the first chance to sign him. If he signs with a new team, that club has to compensate the former team with two first-round draft choices.

No restricted players have changed teams under the Plan B system.

THE PLAYERS

Plaintiffs: New York Jet running back Freeman McNeil; San Diego guard Dave Richards; Green Bay quarterback Don Majkowski; New York Giant cornerback Mark Collins; Cleveland cornerback Frank Minnifield; Phoenix safety Tim McDonald; former Giant and Cleveland running back Lee Rouson, now retired; and former Detroit and Raider linebacker Niko Noga, recently released.

Plaintiffs’ attorneys: Jim Quinn, Jeffrey Kessler, New York; Ed Glennon, Carol Reiger, Minneapolis.

The players argued: The Plan B system is illegal under the antitrust laws. They want to be able to negotiate with any team in an open market. They asked for about $4 million in damages.

THE LEAGUE

Defendant: The National Football League.

Defendant’s attorneys: Frank Rothman, Los Angeles; Herbert Dym, Washington, D.C.; Jim Fitzmaurice, Minneapolis.

The league argued: Plan B and other rules have allowed the league to enjoy unprecedented prosperity and popularity, and an end to those rules would threaten the competitive balance of professional football.

THE COURT

Court: U.S. District Court Judge David S. Doty, Minneapolis.

Jury: Eight women.

The trial: Started June 15 and lasted 36 days. The jury deliberated two days.

THE VERDICT

Liability: NFL liable in all eight players’ cases with four awarded monetary compensation.

Damages: $543,000 (trebled under federal antitrust laws to $1.63 million).