The news surrounding former Heisman winning quarterback Johnny Manziel has gone from bad to worse. Dallas police have indicated that they will refer Manziel’s case, stemming from a well-publicized January 30, 2016 incident with ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley, to the district attorney as a misdemeanor assault/domestic violence charge. In court documents, Crowley accuses Manziel of hitting her and threatening to kill her in a sequence of events that began in a Dallas hotel room and ended at her Fort Worth apartment. Crowley alleges the blow …
Continue ReadingCategory: NFL
NFL Required to Hand Over More Than $100M to its Players Association
In a ruling handed down last week by arbitrator Stephen Burbank, the NFL has been hit hard with a decision aimed directly at its pockets. The NFL Players Association recently announced that the league must fork over $120 million to the revenue pool the league and its players’ union share. The arbitrator found that the NFL had “mischaracterized” nearly $50 million of revenue a year that otherwise would have been paid to the players. The order comes after the Players Association discovered the issue in …
Continue ReadingNFL’s Influence on Concussion Research Cannot be Overlooked, OTL Reports
In a recent Outside The Lines article posted earlier this month on ESPN.com, it was reported that the National Football League — under fire these days for its role in downplaying concussions and head trauma in professional sports — may be exerting inappropriate influence on scientific studies on concussions. The OTL article posits that this is not a new development either. According to the piece, the NFL has had its hand in funding scientific studies regarding concussions and their long-term effects since the mid-1990s. However, …
Continue ReadingNFL and Associated Press Want Photographers’ Antitrust Suit Tossed Forever
On Thursday, February 11, 2016, the NFL and The Associated Press asked a New York federal judge to dismiss a group of professional photographers’ second attempt at asserting copyright and antitrust violations over the use of their photos taken at NFL games. At the hearing, the league and the media body — along with their co-defendants in the case, including Getty Images and Replay Photos LLC — argued that the photographers had failed to allege any new facts or claims in their second amended complaint, …
Continue ReadingRams Hit with Second Class Action Lawsuit Over L.A. Move
On Wednesday, February 10, 2016, another class action complaint was filed against the NFL’s St. Louis Rams, alleging that the Rams’ move to Los Angeles has rendered St. Louis Rams season tickets “valueless.”
According to the complaint, “tens of thousands” of St. Louis Rams season ticket holders purchased Personal Seat Licenses (PSLs), which gave them the right to purchase season tickets through the 2024 season. Yet, the Rams announced in early 2016 that they were moving to Los Angeles, making the PSLs worthless. The fans …
Continue ReadingDon’t Wear it Out: Settlement in Lawsuit Against Nike Over the Allegedly Improper Use of the Name “Lights Out”
After nearly two years, a trademark infringement lawsuit brought by NFL linebacker Shawne Merriman against Nike has settled, according to documents filed in California federal court on Thursday, February 11, 2016.
The lawsuit was sparked by Nike’s use of the term “Lights Out” for one of its lines of athletic apparel. Merriman was given the nickname “Lights Out” while in high school, and upon entering college, began selling T-shirts with a “Lights Out” logo to help pay for his schooling.
Prior to the settlement, Merriman …
Continue ReadingAn Insight into Understanding CTE and its Role in NFL Concussion Litigation
As another NFL season wrapped up over the weekend with the Denver Broncos defeating the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50, fans might be wondering just how they are going to fill their football-less void for the next six months. Well, the NFL might actually be in the news more heavily this offseason compared to years past — although not necessarily for a good reason. Concussions, head trauma, CTE — these are words being tossed around on almost a daily basis from every news outlet …
Continue Reading
Will New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman Tackle Alleged Unfair Ticketing Practices in the NFL?
Joseph Hanna, Chair of Goldberg Segalla’s Sports and Entertainment Law Practice Group, weighed in on New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s recent report over unfair practices in the event ticket industry, including the NFL Ticket Exchange, the league’s official online ticket market. Schneiderman’s report alleges that the way the NFL sells tickets potentially creates price floors, which in turn increases the costs of tickets.
Schneiderman has called for corporate and legislative changes in the ticket industry. However, altering the way tickets are sold may …
Continue ReadingRiddell Concussion Update: Helmet Company Thrown Back into NFL Suit
Between January 27 and February 3, 2016, US District Judge Anita B. Brody handed down two new orders in the seemingly never-ending NFL concussion suit. The first decision was actually a reversal of one of Judge Brody’s previous ones, turning over her December 2015 decision to sever claims against helmet-maker Riddell, Inc., who is being targeted by the former players in the suit for making an inferior work product that caused, or at least did not properly prevent, concussion and other head injuries on the …
Continue ReadingNFL Sunday Ticket Litigation: Fans Want the Suit Back in State Court
On Friday, January 29, 2016, plaintiffs involved in a suit over Direct TV’s NFL Sunday Ticket package urged a California federal court to remand the case, which alleges violations of California law, back to state court.
The putative class action was initially filed by Robert Gary Lippincott Jr. in Sonoma County Superior Court back in October. Lippincott’s complaint alleged that contracts for Direct TV’s Sunday Ticket Package are void under California law as illegal contracts including “unconscionable provisions.” Specifically, Lippincott brought claims for unconscionability in …
Continue Reading