Brown v. Pro Football Inc.

Parties: Anthony Brown, et al (appellee) v. Pro Football, inc., et al (appellant) Facts: In 1987,a collective bargaining agreement between the National Football League, a group of football clubs, and the NFL Players Association, a labor union, expired. The NFL and the Players Association began to negotiate a new contract. In March 1989, during the negotiations, the NFL a plan that would permit each club to establish a "developmental squad" of up to six rookie or "…

…decision, the Supreme Court held that federal labor laws protect professional football franchises from anti-trust actions brought by their players when those franchises unilaterally impose terms after the collective bargaining process breaks down. Labor laws stabilize, encourage, and protect the collective bargaining process. When that process breaks down, labor laws provide adequate remedies. Employee suits under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, by contrast, might undermine the integrity of collective bargaining and prevent unnecessarily the labor laws.