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Was talking to Cowboys’ long-snapper L.P. Ladouceur yesterday when the news broke: “Judge Susan Nelson rules for players. Lockout to be lifted.”
Him: “What does that mean? We’re back to work tomorrow?”
Me: “Um, I’m not sure.”
At the time — as usual — I felt like an uninformed dork, clueless to the confusing ramifications of the complex legal ruling. But this morning I’m not so embarrassed, because apparently nobody knows the exact state of the NFL.
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Said ESPN’s Adam Scheffter this morning, Welcome to the wild west.
Upon Nelon’s 89-page ruling that immediately ended the 45-day lockout, the NFL was back in some stage of business. (Remember, a judge also made a significant ruling against the owners back in early March.) But with the owners immediately appealing, now Nelson has to rule again, at which point the owners will take their appeal to the 8th Circuit Court.
That process could take place in the next couple days, possibly with a ruling coming down during Thursday’s — oh, by the way — NFL Draft.
For now, it appears players are showing up to team facilities but aren’t working out in weight rooms, holding contract negotiations or being even allowed to interact with team personnel.
A couple of Cowboys — including quarterback Stephen McGee and offensive linemen Sam Young and Phil Costa — arrived at Valley Ranch this morning and were allowed in the complex without incident. With six-figure workout bonuses in the balance, there will surely be more to follow.
The Twitterverse is alive, but also a tad confused by yesterday’s ruling.
Says Orlando Scandrick:
advertisement“Wish I was in Dallas so I could show up to valley ranch bright an early tomorrow shirt tucked in ready to work lol,”
Wrote Martellus Bennett:
advertisementadvertisement“Sorry to tell y’all this but the owners are gonna appeal the ruling and there will still be a lockout. Only makes sense. But we shall see.”
The lockout didn’t seem to have any particular effect on Dez Bryant, who at 1:18 this morning Tweeted:
advertisement“At ihop”
