On October 9, a report emerged that a collusion case based on the lack of player spending in the uncapped year would be filed by the NFL Players Association against the league “potentially . . . within the next month.”
Key word? Potentially.
It’s now November 17, and no collusion case has been filed. We’re told that it likely won’t be filed until the NFLPA completes its ongoing series of meetings with players from individual teams, the primary purpose of which has been to obtain advance approval to decertify the union in an effort to block a lockout, and to set the stage for another antitrust lawsuit.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the union has met with players from 29 teams. The remaining three are the 49ers, Raiders, and Seahawks.
Of course, it’s possible that talk of a collusion case is a bluff aimed at forcing the NFL to the bargaining table. If that’s the case, it hasn’t created the kind of urgency that would lead to getting a deal done in the near future.
Or, given the progress of talks, in the distant future.