Though none of the three judges mentioned the “friend of the court” brief filed by the NFL Coaches Association during Friday’s oral argument regarding the question of whether the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit will lift the lockout, it’s becoming more and more clear that this so-called “friend of the court” finds no friends in 15 of 32 NFL teams.
And counting.
Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean reports that the Titans coaching staff didn’t know about the brief that supposedly was filed on their behalf. Per Wyatt, the Titans coaches also do not endorse the brief.
The other 14 coaching staffs that didn’t know about and don’t endorse the filing are (as previously mentioned at PFT) the Redskins, Saints, Jaguars, Cowboys, Rams, Texans, Chiefs, Bears, Eagles, Jets, Vikings, Bills, and (per NFLLabor.com) the Cardinals and the Seahawks.
NFLCA executive director Larry Kennan (pictured) previously has acknowledged that he “didn’t do a very good job of communicating with the Redskins,” the first coaching staff to speak out against the filing. At the time, Kennan brushed off the possibility of a mutiny.
“If there were a whole bunch of teams [protesting], I’d be concerned. I’m not concerned about one,” Kennan said.
Um, Larry? It’s time to be concerned.