NFL players: Lockout causing 'irreparable harm'

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - NFL players are defending their decision to disband the union, saying employers cannot force workers to form a union.

The players made the statements Monday in a court document filed in response to the NFL's assertion decertification was “a sham.”

The players are asking a federal judge to halt a lockout imposed by owners, saying an injunction is needed to “stop the irreparable harm being inflicted today.” A hearing on the issue is scheduled for April 6 in St. Paul, Minn.

Owners locked out the players on March 11 shortly after lawyers for Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and seven other NFL players filed an antitrust suit and injunction request.

The owners argued last week that the court has no legal grounds to prevent a lockout.