NFL owners say players union is not bargaining in good faith

The NFL and its players union have gone from bargaining to legal action in less than a week. The sides sat down to talk Wednesday, but a follow-up meeting was canceled and on Monday the league charged that the NFL Players Association is not bargaining in good faith.

The owners' filing with the National Labor Relations Board accuses the players of "surface bargaining" designed to "run out the clock" on the current collective bargaining agreement, which expires March 3.

If that date passed and a lockout begins, the players could decertify their union and bring an antitrust suit against the league, which the complaint says is the NFLPA's true goal. The NFL asked the board to force the union to bargain in good faith, a move which could cut off the path to decertification and an antitrust charge.

The union said the filing "has absolutely no merit."

"The players didn't walk out, and the players can't lock out. Players want a fair, new and long-term deal. We have offered proposals and solutions on every issue the owners have raised," the NFLPA said in a statement.

The NFL's filing is part of the legal dance as both sides use threats of lawsuits to gain leverage.

The NFLPA has raised the prospect of decertifying their union, which would open the door to an anti-trust suit, a tactic that helped the players win a battle over free agency in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The league challenged the NFLPA on similar grounds then, without success, according to Tulane law professor Gabriel Feldman, who recently wrote about the issue on the Huffington Post.

Eagles players have already voted to authorize decertifying the union if needed.

Meanwhile, talk about a player boycott of the upcoming NFL scouting combine quickly fizzled on a Monday conference call between agents and the NFLPA. The NFL is pushing for a rookie wage scale, but a boycott could hurt players attempting to improve their draft stock.