Quote:
NFL asks judge to keep TV contract-case info sealed
MINNEAPOLIS -- The NFL asked a federal judge Wednesday to deny the players' union's bid to release details in a $4 billion TV revenue dispute, saying information should be kept confidential because it is commercially sensitive.
U.S. District Court Judge David Doty two weeks ago ruled -- rejecting a special master's previous decision -- that the NFL illegally secured the money from TV contracts for 2011, money the players contend was arranged to fund a lockout.
The union requested a week ago that all exhibits, testimony and transcripts be unsealed.
The league filed its response and included redacted versions of exhibits cited in Doty's decision totaling more than 800 pages. Much of the information was blacked out to protect information the NFL considers sensitive, harmful to future negotiations if revealed and damaging to business relations.
"Unsealing these documents would reveal to entities with whom we have, may have, or seek to have commercial relationships our internal thought processes relating to television programming and digital rights," Brian Rolapp, chief operating officer for NFL Media, wrote in his declaration of support filed with the league's request.
League lawyers argue that the court's previous denial of local media's request to unseal all the documents should apply to the union's request as well to satisfy the public's right to know and to provide context that "will be the basis for rulings to come."
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http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d...e=HP_headlines
Hmm, could the league be hiding something? Yes. Most likely. It is a business. Yet, it seems: this sort of secrecy is getting in the way of the negotiations.