William Radovich v. National Football League

William Radovich is a one time football great from the University of Southern California. From there he went on to Detroit to play professional football in the years 1938-1941 and 1945, with the Detroit Lions, a member of the National Football League. His playing there was interrupted by service in the navy during World War II. With the Lions, Radovich as a professional was as successful, if not more so, than he had been as an amateur at Southern California.

In 1946 Radovich signed to play at an increase in salary with the Los Angeles Dons, a football organization outside the ties of the National Football League. Eventually, he wanted, he says, re-employment by the Detroit Lions or by other football organizations of the National League. But he says up to the filing of his complaint, he could find no further employment as a football player with teams affiliated with the National League because when he joined the Los Angeles Dons he broke his contract with the Detroit Lions. He violated the “reserve clause,” long established in baseball and now a standard provision of contracts of member clubs of National. Shortly stated, the reserve clause in a player’s contract ties the player to…