WHITE v. NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Nos. 93-3375, 93-3381, 93-3382, 93-3403, 93-3415.

41 F.3d 402 (1994)

Reggie WHITE; Michael Buck; Hardy Nickerson; Vann McElroy; Dave Duerson, Plaintiffs-Appellees, Byron Evans, Objector-Appellant, v. NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE; The Five Smiths, Inc.; Buffalo Bills, Inc.; Chicago Bears Football Club, Inc.; Cincinnati Bengals, Inc.; Cleveland Browns, Inc.; The Dallas Cowboys Football Club, Ltd.; PDB Sports, Ltd.; The Detroit Lions, Inc.; The Green Bay Packers, Inc.; Houston Oilers, Inc.; Indianapolis Colts, Inc.; Kansas City Chiefs Football Club, Inc.; The Los Angeles Raiders, Ltd.; Los Angeles Rams Football Company, Inc.; Miami Dolphins, Ltd.; Minnesota Vikings Football Club, Inc.; KMS Patriots, L.P.; The New Orleans Saints Limited Partnership; New York Football Giants, Inc.; New York Jets Football Club, Inc., Defendants-Appellees, The Philadelphia Eagles Football Club, Inc., Defendant, B & B Holdings, Inc.; Pittsburgh Steelers Sports, Inc.; The Chargers Football; The San Francisco Forty-Niners, Ltd.; Seattle Seahawks, Inc.; Tampa Bay Area NFL Football Club, Inc.; Pro-Football, Inc., Defendants-Appellees. Reggie White; Michael Buck; Hardy Nickerson; Vann McElroy; Dave Duerson, Plaintiffs-Appellees, Sean JONES; Ken Norton, Jr.; Eric Allen; Patrick Hunter; William C. Matthews; Leslie O'Neal; Eric Sanders; Chris Dishman; Lomas Brown; Neil Smith; Van Waiters; Broderick Thompson; Curtis Duncan; Jerry Ball, Intervenors-Appellants, v. NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE; The Five Smiths, Inc.; Buffalo Bills, Inc.; Chicago Bears Football Club, Inc.; Cincinnati Bengals, Inc.; Cleveland Browns, Inc.; The Dallas Cowboys Football Club, Ltd.; PDB Sports, Ltd.; The Detroit Lions, Inc.; The Green Bay Packers, Inc.; Houston Oilers, Inc.; Indianapolis Colts, Inc.; Kansas City Chiefs Football Club, Inc.; The Los Angeles Raiders, Ltd.; Los Angeles Rams Football Company, Inc.; Miami Dolphins, Ltd.; Minnesota Vikings Football Club, Inc.; KMS Patriots, L.P.; The New Orleans Saints Limited Partnership; New York Football Giants, Inc.; New York Jets Football Club, Inc., Defendants-Appellees, The Philadelphia Eagles Football Club, Inc., Defendant, B & B Holdings, Inc.; Pittsburgh Steelers Sports, Inc.; The Chargers Football; The San Francisco Forty-Niners, Ltd.; Seattle Seahawks, Inc.; Tampa Bay Area NFL Football Club, Inc.; Pro-Football, Inc., Defendants-Appellees. Reggie White; Michael Buck; Hardy Nickerson; Vann McElroy; Dave Duerson, Plaintiffs-Appellees, Terry Orr, Intervenor-Appellant, Shane Collins; Ron Middleton, Intervenors, Mark Schlereth, Intervenor-Appellant, Kelly Goodburn; David Gulledge; Ed Simmons, Intervenors, Matt Elliot; Joe Jacoby, Intervenors-Appellants, Sidney Johnson; Kurt Gouveia; Ravin Caldwell, Intervenors, Mark Rypien, Intervenor-Appellant, James A. Jenkins; Johnny Thomas; Eric Williams; Don Warren; Jeff Bostic; Todd Bowles, Intervenors, Ray Brown, Intervenor-Appellant, Jason Buck, Intervenor, Earnest A. Byner, Intervenor-Appellant, Desmond Howard; Anthony Johnson; Brian Mitchell, Intervenors, Ricky Sanders, Intervenor-Appellant, Paul SIEVER, Intervenor, v. NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE; The Five Smiths, Inc.; Buffalo Bills, Inc.; Chicago Bears Football Club, Inc.; Cincinnati Bengals, Inc.; Cleveland Browns, Inc.; The Dallas Cowboys Football Club, Ltd.; PDB Sports, Ltd.; The Detroit Lions, Inc.; The Green Bay Packers, Inc.; Houston Oilers, Inc.; Indianapolis Colts, Inc.; Kansas City Chiefs Football Club, Inc.; The Los Angeles Raiders, Ltd.; Los Angeles Rams Football Company, Inc.; Miami Dolphins, Ltd.; Minnesota Vikings Football Club, Inc.; KMS Patriots, L.P.; The New Orleans Saints Limited Partnership; New York Football Giants, Inc.; New York Jets Football Club, Inc., Defendants-Appellees, The Philadelphia Eagles Football Club, Inc., Defendant, B & B Holdings, Inc.; Pittsburgh Steelers Sports, Inc.; The Chargers Football; The San Francisco Forty-Niners, Ltd.; Seattle Seahawks, Inc.; Tampa Bay Area NFL Football Club, Inc.; Pro-Football, Inc., Defendants-Appellees. Reggie White; Michael Buck; Hardy Nickerson; Vann McElroy; Dave Duerson, Plaintiffs-Appellees, Mark DUSBABEK; Carl Lee; Audray McMillian; Felix Wright; Cody Risien; Mark Harper; Sammy Martin; Don Beebe; Gregory Scales, Objectors-Appellants, v. NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE; The Five Smiths, Inc.; Buffalo Bills, Inc.; Chicago Bears Football Club, Inc.; Cincinnati Bengals, Inc.; Cleveland Browns, Inc.; The Dallas Cowboys Football Club, Ltd.; PDB Sports, Ltd.; The Detroit Lions, Inc.; The Green Bay Packers, Inc.; Houston Oilers, Inc.; Indianapolis Colts, Inc.; Kansas City Chiefs Football Club, Inc.; The Los Angeles Raiders, Ltd.; Los Angeles Rams Football Company, Inc.; Miami Dolphins, Ltd.; Minnesota Vikings Football Club, Inc.; KMS Patriots, L.P.; The New Orleans Saints Limited Partnership; New York Football Giants, Inc.; New York Jets Football Club, Inc., Defendants-Appellees, The Philadelphia Eagles Football Club, Inc., Defendant, B & B Holdings, Inc.; Pittsburgh Steelers Sports, Inc.; The Chargers Football; The San Francisco Forty-Niners, Ltd.; Seattle Seahawks, Inc.; Tampa Bay Area NFL Football Club, Inc.; Pro-Football, Inc., Defendants-Appellees. Reggie WHITE; Michael Buck; Hardy Nickerson; Vann McElroy; Dave Duerson, Plaintiffs-Appellees, Maurice Hurst; John Fourcade, Objectors-Appellants, v. NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE; The Five Smiths, Inc.; Buffalo Bills, Inc.; Chicago Bears Football Club, Inc.; Cincinnati Bengals, Inc.; Cleveland Browns, Inc.; The Dallas Cowboys Football Club, Ltd.; PDB Sports, Ltd.; The Detroit Lions, Inc.; The Green Bay Packers, Inc.; Houston Oilers, Inc.; Indianapolis Colts, Inc.; Kansas City Chiefs Football Club, Inc.; The Los Angeles Raiders, Ltd.; Los Angeles Rams Football Company, Inc.; Miami Dolphins, Ltd.; Minnesota Vikings Football Club, Inc.; KMS Patriots, L.P.; The New Orleans Saints Limited Partnership; New York Football Giants, Inc.; New York Jets Football Club, Inc., Defendants-Appellees, The Philadelphia Eagles Football Club, Inc., Defendant, B & B Holdings, Inc.; Pittsburgh Steelers Sports, Inc.; The Chargers Football; The San Francisco Forty-Niners, Ltd.; Seattle Seahawks, Inc.; Tampa Bay Area NFL Football Club, Inc.; Pro-Football, Inc., Defendants-Appellees.

United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit.

Decided December 6, 1994.

Rehearing and Suggestion for Rehearing Denied January 20, 1995.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Suzzelle Smith, Los Angeles, CA, argued (Burton J. Kinerk, Kenneth Lee and Colleen L. Kinerk, Tucson, AZ; W. Joseph Bruckner, Earle F. Kyle, IV, Thomas S. Fraser and Laurie J. Miller, Minneapolis, MN; Don Howarth, Los Angeles, CA; Gary C. Adler and John J. McDermott, Washington, DC, on briefs), for appellant.

Jeffrey L. Kessler, New York City, argued (James Fitzmaurice, Daniel J. Connolly, Edward M. Glennon, Charles J. Lloyd and Mark A. Jacobson, Minneapolis, MN; Herbert Dym, Gregg H. Levy and Neil K. Roman, Washington, DC; Frank Rothman, Shepard Goldfein and William L. Daly, Los Angeles, CA; James W. Quinn, Jonathan T. Weiss, David G. Feher, Daniel Rubin and Jay L. Levine, New York City, on brief), for appellee.

Before McMILLIAN, HANSEN, and MORRIS SHEPPARD ARNOLD, Circuit Judges.


Rehearing and Suggestion for Rehearing En Banc Denied January 20, 1995.*

MORRIS SHEPPARD ARNOLD, Circuit Judge.

Twenty-six football players ("objectors") appeal the settlement of an antitrust action brought by a certified class of football players against the National Football League. The district court1 initially certified the class in an order issued on April 30, 1993, White v. NFL,

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