The NFL was left facing an uncertain future after being plunged into its first work stoppage for almost a quarter of a century at midnight on Friday, when team owners imposed a lockout on their players.
Although the NFL did not release an official statement, the league-owned NFL Network reported on air that the lockout began immediately after the collective bargaining agreement with the players' union expired at midnight.
The announcement came just hours after two years of labour negotiations between the NFL and the union collapsed, prompting the union to dissolve itself and allowing players to take legal action against the league.
At least 10 players, including the quarterbacks Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, immediately filed antitrust lawsuits against the NFL to prevent a possible lockout, even before the deadline had been reached.
The dispute is likely to be played out in the courts for months, raising speculation that the 2011 season, due to start in September, could be disrupted. The last time the NFL lost games to industrial action was in 1987 when the players went on strike.
Team owners and players are in dispute this time over a range of issues, including how to divide up more than US$9 billion (Dh33bn) in annual revenues.
* Reuters