Though the headline at the top of the league’s official website proclaims that the “lockout [is] back in force” after the ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit granted the league’s motion for a temporary stay of the decision ending the work stoppage, the league has not yet re-slammed the door.
“Our attorneys will review the decision and we will advise all clubs as soon as possible on next steps,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello tells PFT via e-mail.
Of course, it could be that the league has decided not to mention the “L” word while the draft is still occurring. And there’s no pressing reason to re-start the lockout over the weekend, since activity will be minimal.
Still, any team that hasn’t distributed playbooks to its players should be taking full advantage of the fact that the lockout has not officially recommenced. Yet.