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Time - Man of the Year
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Time_Man_of_the_Year_Compact_Publishing_3YX-Disc-1_Compact_Publishing_1993.iso
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1993-04-08
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THE WEEK SOCIETY, Page 21Play of the Week
A jury leaves N.F.L. players licking their chops, owners their
wounds
In the relentless struggle between athletes and team owners for
a bigger slice of professional sports' financial pie, control of
free agency has been the utensil of choice. Last week,
following a 36-day trial, a federal court dropped the owners'
favorite fork on the floor, ruling that the National Football
League's limited free-agency plan was illegal and awarding four
players $1.6 million in damages. The decision will probably lead
to a less restrictive agreement and higher salaries.
Players contended that the existing plan kept salaries low
and curtailed their ability to move freely to higher-paying
teams; the owners argued that fewer restrictions would unleash
uncontrolled salary escalation. On this last point, both sides
might agree; in the National Basketball Association and
major-league baseball, free agency is looser. Annual player
salaries average $1.1 million and $1.08 million, respectively.
In the N.F.L., the average is about $400,000. Probably not for
long.
The plaintiff's suit included a total of eight athletes,
but according to Tom Condon, a sports agent and former head of
the N.F.L. Player's Association, some 1,000 of the N.F.L.'s
1,500 players have been affected by the old free-agency rule,
which has been in effect since 1989. The players' attorney,
Jeffrey Kessler, called the decision a "total victory." The
N.F.L. said it would appeal.