Bye-bye football!!
The NFL Players Association has filed papers to decertify, effectively disbanding the union and giving it the chance to sue under antitrust laws if there is a lockout.
"The NFLPA will move forward as a professional trade association with the mission of supporting the interests and rights of current and former professional football players," the group said Friday in a statement.
The move follows a 16th day of federally mediated negotiations in which the union, presented with a proposal from the league's owners group late Friday afternoon as a 5 p.m. decertification deadline approached, rejected the offer as "significant differences continue to remain," union chief DeMaurice Smith said.
"They have chosen to choose another strategy, and that is their choice," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said.
Without decertification, the union would've had to wait six months to file a suit after the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement.
Shortly after the announcement, the union's website, NFLPA.org, had been dismantled.
"Error 404: Football Not Found" was published in large letters near the top of the site's homepage. A smaller line below read: "Please be patient as we work on resolving this. We are sorry for the inconvenience."
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6205936