Eller, three-time All-Pro running back Priest Holmes and ex-players Obafemi Ayanbadejo and Ryan Collins are listed as plaintiffs in the 44-page complaint filed in federal court in Minneapolis and obtained by The Associated Press. It seeks class-action status on behalf of all former players.
The retirees want the NFL lockout lifted to ensure their pensions and health benefits remain funded. According to the lawsuit, those benefits will end if a collective bargaining agreement is not renewed by next March 11 -- a year after the last one expired.
The NFL offers retirement, disability and death benefits, with each program subsidized by the 32 teams. The benefits can be terminated if no CBA is in effect for more than a year, the lawsuit says.
The case was assigned to Senior U.S. District Judge Richard Kyle in St. Paul, Minn., where U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson is scheduled to hold an April 6 hearing on a request by current players to immediately halt the lockout.
Shawn Stuckey, an attorney for the retired players, said he intends to ask the court to combine the retirees' lawsuit with the antitrust suit filed by Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and others.
"We hope that we can be a part of that hearing. For the sake of judicial economy, it would help to streamline things to make sure you get all parties involved at the same table at the same hearing at the same time," Stuckey said.
He added: "If we can't get that, we want to give the retired players a voice."
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