If it didn’t seem fair to you that the NFL would be allowed to collect TV revenue while it locked out players, take heart, because a federal judge felt the same way.

The AP reports the judge took some leverage away from the owners by ruling that the league’s TV contracts violated the soon-to-expire collective bargaining agreement. The ruling throws into question earlier reports that the league is in position to weather a two-year lockout.

“The record shows that the NFL undertook contract renegotiations to advance its own interests and harm the interests of the players,” the judge wrote.

The collective bargaining agreement was set to expire at the end of Thursday, but the players and owners agreed to a 24-hour extension. A lockout, as well as a union decertification vote that could block a lockout, are both possibilities in the near future.

Federal judge rules NFL violated deal [AP via ESPN]

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