The NFLPA recently distributed to the players a timeline of the NFL lockout dating all the way back to 2007 when the league hired Bob Batterman, known for his work in the NHL lockout. According to the document, the league's hiring that "lockout lawyer" was the first step in getting to where we're at today.
The document includes highlights of the steps the league has taken over the last four years in reaching the point where we stand now.
It was May 2008 when the owners opted out of the CBA, which expired last March, and it was June 2008 when the NFL tried to remove Judge David Doty from jurisdiction. The same Doty that will soon be deciding damages in the TV contracts case. Historically, his rulings lean toward the players so the NFL isn't a big fan of him.
Speaking of the TV contracts, the document says the league started negotiating those in January 2009, long before the words "lockout" were in the average fans' mind.
The NFL first publicly talked about the 18-game season in March 2009 and brought it up in a bargaining session three months later.
One of the sticking points in the last round of negotiations was the NFL's reluctance to release financial information. Eventually, they gave in a little bit last March but not enough for the NFLPA at the time. The players had been actually asking for that information since May 2009.
The point is that this wasn't just one thing that caused the NFL lockout to happen -- it's been a four-year process. Unfortunately, neither side could get a deal done so we sit here without football for the time being. The document almost makes you depressed because it seems there were so many opportunities over the last four years to get something done.
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