NFL Draft 2011: NFLPA Wisely Advises Rookies To Boycott Draft During Lockout

The NFL Players Association made waves Monday when ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the newly-formed trade association has told NFL draft prospects that they should boycott the NFL draft held annually New York City.

Each year, the NFL invites numerous prospects to Radio City Music Hall to partake in one of the most interesting human interest stories in all of sports. From Rob Gronkowski's joyful exuberance in becoming a New England Patriot to Aaron Rodgers' arduous greenroom wait, the NFL draft is an exciting process for all to watch—evidenced by all-time high ratings year after year.

This year, it appears players may not be present.

The move, at first glance, is a public relations disaster for the former union, made clear by the deluge of responses from fans, reporters and bloggers who called the NFLPA selfish and misguided, and far worse, for this move.

In response, NFL public relations employee Brian McCarthy reported that the league will still invite players and hope that they come.

What fans, media and Brian McCarthy fail to understand is that this is no longer a PR battle. No leverage is gained by playing fans against each other as it once may have been in negotiations.

This labor battle will not be held in the court of public opinion, but rather in US District Court.

The NFLPA has filed a lawsuit, contending (among other things) that the NFL is violating US antitrust laws with practices like free agency, the salary cap and—you guessed it—the player draft.

Think about it this way: If someone were suing a corporation like McDonalds for unsafe practices or lackadaisical health standards, how would it effect their case if they were later photographed eating a Big Mac?

In the same way, the NFLPA cannot claim in court documents that the NFL draft is evidence of collusion and then encourage their members to attend. In court, the NFL could easily claim that the NFLPA's antitrust claims were invalid because members of the NFLPA publicly supported the event.

Disappointing or not, the best chance for a 2011 draft pick to play actual football in 2011 is to boycott the draft.

Michael Schottey is an on-call editor for the Bleacher Report College Writing Internship. He is also an NFL Featured Columnist and an NFL Labor/Draft Expert. A member of the Pro Football Writers of America, he has professionally covered the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions, as well as NFL events like the Scouting Combine and the Senior Bowl. Follow him on Twitter.