Collusion, Antitrust, and the NFL

On Monday, March 12th, Commissioner of the National Football League, Roger Goodell, penalized the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys for “contract practices . . . during the 2010 league year [that] created an unacceptable risk to future competitive balance.” This charge traces back to 2008, when the owners, in a move that eventually led to the 18-week lockout, opted out of the collective bargaining agreement. As a result the 2010–11 NFL season did not feature a salary cap. This post was originally published on the Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal website on March 21, 2012. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above