Go back and look at the judge's order. Pay particular attention to the heading of the first page. Several things stand out. First, of course, the matter stems from the NFLPA's fight for free agency, which led to a CBA being negotiated in 1993.

 

The 1993 settlement goes back to 1987 and the strike of that year, which included three weeks of replacement players filling in for most striking veterans. A myriad of lawsuits followed the strike in 1987, and the  NFL went without a CBA from 1987 to 1993.

 

Now go back and look at the plaintiffs. Reggie White, the lead plaintiff, passed away several years ago. Tragically, another plaintiff, Dave Duerson, committed suicide a few weeks ago.

Next look at the defendants. After the NFL, you will see the Five Smiths, Inc., and you may wonder what that is. Of course you old timers will know that the Five Smiths would be the Atlanta Falcons when they were owned by Rankin Smith and his family, long before current owner Arthur Blank bought the team.

Now scroll down a little more and behold that Los Angeles not only had a football team- they had two; how about that! Can you imagine in 2011 that an area the size of Los Angeles has no NFL franchise at all? In the almost eighteen years since Judge Doty has been handling the settlement of 1993, the significant changes in personnel, ownership and the league as a whole are overwhelming. Lets go forward another 18 years to 2029; one can only imagine where the game will be. Judge Doty will be 100 years old. Will he still be handling this matter?

 

For more on Judge David Doty take a look at this link.