Recent federal tax filings by the National Football League and its collective bargaining arm, the NFL Management Council, show that the league paid a total of at least $15 million in legal fees to a trio of Am Law 100 firms during its 2011 fiscal year, which included a four-and-a-half-month labor lockout that ultimately ended with a 10-year collective bargaining agreement.
The filings by the two registered nonprofits, which cover the period from April 1, 2011, through March 31, 2012, provide only a snapshot of the outside legal expenses accrued by the NFL and its related entities.
