Number: RS21869
Title: Clarett v. National Football League and the Nonstatutory Labor Exemption in Antitrust Suits
Authors: Nathan Brooks, American Law Division 
Abstract: On May 24, 2004, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit delivered its opinion in Clarett v. National Football League. In that case, a former college running back challenged on antitrust grounds the NFLs so-called three-year rule, which prohibits players from entering the NFL Draft unless they are three years removed from high school. The Second Circuit ruled that the three-year rule is protected from antitrust challenges by the nonstatutory labor exemption, which shields the collective bargaining process from antitrust scrutiny in deference to federal labor laws.
Pages: 6
Date: June 22, 2004