On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge David Doty ordered that the NFL players should be granted relief arising from the TV contracts the NFL has negotiated over the past couple years. Instead of maximizing the profits, the NFL negotiated terms that allowed them to receive their TV money even if there is no football to televise. It might seem like their right as owners to do so, but according to Pro Football Talk, "Once the league agreed to pay the players 59.6 cents of every dollar made (less $1 billion off the top), the league assumed a duty to maximize revenues."
The unknown is how this effects the owners. Now they can't pocket $4 billion in TV money to keep them afloat through a long lockout. But they still might be in a better position financially then the players to weather a long lockout. While this ruling is a win for the players, they still have to find common ground and negotiate a new labor pact.