[Update: ESPN retracts their report. The NFL lockout has not been reinstated.]
Earlier on Friday morning Mike Silver of Yahoo! Sports reported that the NFLPA was bracing for a stay of the injunction which would reinstate the NFL lockout.
And on Friday afternoon, that's exactly what they did. ESPN reports the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has granted a temporary stay of the injunction which means, for now, the lockout is back on.
Silver's report indicates that this stay will be temporary.
The stay, according to a source familiar with the players' interests, would be of the "administrative" variety, meaning the lockout would not be lifted until Monday at the earliest. At that point, the Eighth Circuit would weigh the players' argument against a stay pending the league's appeal of Nelson's ruling to the Eighth Circuit and decide whether to keep the stay in place until they render a decision on the appeal.
On Thursday, the NFL announced players would be let into the building on Friday morning and contact between players and coaches would be allowed. It looks like that lasted less than 24 hours.
So it appears the lockout is back on -- at least through the weekend. On Monday, we should gain some more clarity on the status of the lockout.
Stay tuned for more NFL lockout news.