Judge David Doty, who presided over the case that resulted in the NFL’s salary-cap era, dies at 96

David Doty, the federal judge who presided over the lawsuit that created the NFL’s current labor model, has died. He was two days away from his 97th birthday.

Judge Doty, Minnesota’s longest-serving federal judge, handled the lawsuit filed by Reggie White and others against the NFL following the 1987 strike. The union had decertified, and the players challenged the NFL’s various personnel rules as antitrust violations.

The 1993 Collective Bargaining Agreement that created true free agency, the franchise tag, the salary cap, and other rules applicable to the player workforce was actually the settlement agreement from the White case. Judge Doty continued to be involved in the resolution of disputes arising under the CBA for years to come.

The settlement agreement in the White case revolutionized the league, laying the foundation for the current non-stop flow of roster transactions and other developments. Before it, there was no free agency frenzy. There were no salary-cap calculations. There were no cap casualties. The agreement has allowed the NFL to dominate other sports not only during football season, but throughout the remainder of the year.

Without the settlement agreement over which Judge Doty presided, the NFL offseason would be far less interesting than it currently is.