US judge backs players over lockout in NFL dispute

Green Bay are the reigning NFL champions NFL team owners have been ordered to end their lockout of players by a federal judge in St Paul, Minnesota. The owners imposed the lockout on 11 March after negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement failed. The players, whose careers are often cut short by injury, claim they deserve a bigger cut of the $9bn generated annually by the NFL. US district judge Susan Richard Nelson issued a preliminary injunction against the owners but the NFL plans to appeal. In a statement, the league said: "We believe that this dispute will inevitably end with a collective bargaining agreement, which would be in the best interests of players, clubs and fans. "We can reach a fair agreement only if we continue negotiations toward that goal." Nelson heard arguments on the injunction at a hearing on 6 April and ordered the two sides to resume mediation while she was considering her decision. The owners and players, who failed to reach consensus after 16 days of mediated talks earlier this year, met over four days with a federal magistrate but did not announce any progress on solving the NFL's first work stoppage since 1987. They are not scheduled to meet again until May 16, four days after another judge holds a hearing on whether players should get damages in their related fight with owners over some $4bn in broadcast revenue. If Nelson's ruling stands, it is unclear exactly what happens next. The previous collective bargaining agreement has expired, so how the league would handle free agency, trades and off-season workouts at team headquarters, all of which were banned under the lockout, remains to be seen.