Free Agency
The league's free agency system originally used a system that was adopted from Major League Baseball, where a player stays with a team until his contract expires, where he can negotiate with the team to stay. In 1947, the league adopted the 1-year system, where a team can only renew a players contract for one year. In 1963, the "Rozelle Rule" was created, where a team that signs a player must compensate for the player's expenses from his previous team. If a team refuses, commissioner Rozelle decided the compensation. The players union found this system to be unfair, and eventually won a court action in 1976. However, the league's collective bargaining agreement still kept the compensation rule, but removed Rozelle's authority. Ultimately, in 1987, the players union went on strike. Two years later, the union sued again, but was prohibited from suing the league for anti-trust. From 1989 to 1992, instead of the current free agent system, the league used a system to acquire and release players called Plan B free agency. The system consisted of teams protecting 37 players, and having the remaining players becoming unrestricted free agents. The players eventually decertified the union, leading to players filing individual lawsuits. However, eight players sued the league for violating their antitrust laws, and calling the system an unfair trade restraint. The system ultimately was deemed illegal by the jury, and was ended in 1992. The lawsuit eventually led to the establishment of the current system, which involves the use of a salary cap.
Read more about this topic: National Football League Controversies
Famous quotes containing the words free and/or agency:
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—Victoria (1819–1901)
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—Robert Benchley (1889–1945)