NFL Thrown for Loss in Two Legal Cases

A federal jury in Washington on Monday awarded 235 NFL players a total of $30 million in damages from the 28 teams for fixing wages of practice players.

The five-woman, three-man jury agreed that the $1,000-a-week wage paid to members of six-man developmental squads during the 1989 season was less than they would have earned had they been free to negotiate their own contracts.

After less than a full day of deliberation, the jury awarded the players the $10 million in damages they claimed. Under antitrust laws, the awards were tripled.

In a separate ruling, the National Labor Relations Board affirmed a decision in March of 1991 that the league violated federal labor law during the 1987 strike and must pay $30 million to the 1,100 players who joined the walkout.

NLRB administrative law judge Benjamin Schlesinger, in his 1991 decision, said the clubs owe the money because they withheld a week’s salary from the players after the strike ended.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league will appeal the jury verdict and the NLRB decision.