League to reopen for business on Friday.

Itssoeasy

The NFL on Thursday notified its teams that they can resume operations, including most offseason activities, beginning Friday at 8 a.m. ET.

According to a statement issued by the league, team officials may immediately contact players to advise them about the hours the facilities will be open for use, schedule medical and rehabilitation sessions and set up meetings with coaches.

In the statement, the league said it notified all teams that it likely will address when the 2011 league year will start on Friday. That would encompass player transactions such as free-agent signings.

Several general managers and player agents told NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora that they are preparing for Monday to be the day transactions can begin.

The guidelines were released a few hours before the NFL draft, where teams were still allowed only to swap picks, not players.

The NFL said it was taking the steps as an appropriate response to the preliminary lockout injunction granted by U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson. The NFL's request for a stay was denied Wednesday. The league is awaiting further guidance from the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis, with which it has filed an appeal of the injunction and sought a stay.

The league's statement details eight points that deal with everything from players' use of facilities to contact with team officials and the start of voluntary offseason workout programs.

Players who showed up at team complexes around the league Thursday again weren't allowed to do any activities.

La Canfora spoke with Washington Redskins center Casey Rabach, one of several players who reported to Redskin Park on Thursday morning. Rabach briefly spoke with general manager Bruce Allen, but he wasn't allowed to enter to work out.

"I stopped by to talk with Bruce," Rabach said via text message. "Everyone was good there. He told me they are waiting to hear on the stay filed with the 8th district court."

When asked if he went to the facility hoping to work out, Rabach responded: "I went there knowing it wasn't going to happen. It would have been nice."

In Minnesota, Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway showed up at Winter Park but was "cordially" informed that he wouldn't be allowed to work out at the facility, The Star Tribune reported.

"I went down to the weight room before I got changed, and I didn't know what was going to happen," Greenway said. "The strength coaches were there, just getting there, and they said that they didn't know what we could do. I was called by (vice president of football operations) Rob Brzezinski. He said, 'You can hang out as long as you want and we want you to be around, but we don't know what rules to go under so there's no workouts available today.' "

The NFL wants an immediate stay of Judge Nelson's decision on Monday to life the lockout so it can argue that it should be overturned altogether by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The court says players must respond to the league's request for a stay by 1 p.m. ET Friday. Then the league has until 10 a.m. ET Monday to respond to that filing.

The NFL's request for a temporary stay is still pending before the court.

Michael Gans, the appeals court clerk, said the three-judge panel for the appeal had not yet been finalized. The venue is considered more friendly to businesses like the NFL's $9 billion operation than the federal courts in Minnesota.

Former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement was listed as the league's lead lawyer for the appeal.

Agent Angelo Wright said he has told clients under contract not to worry about visiting teams headquarters this weekend out of fairness to the teams so they can focus on the draft. He said they should plan to show up on Monday, and said he'd start calling team executives about unsigned players as soon as Sunday night.

Agent Drew Rosenhaus, though, said he would like for signings and trades to take place during the draft.

"I've been calling teams, and I've been told they've been advised by the NFL to hold off on signings or trades until further notice," Rosenhaus said.

Attorneys for the players said the decision lifting the lockout "is in full, immediate force."

"It is our view that the NFL and the clubs will be in contempt of court if they do not comply with the order," lawyers James Quinn and Jeffrey Kessler wrote.

Quinn, in a tersely worded letter to NFL attorney Gregg Levy, said the players were tired of waiting and even accused the league of "granting itself a temporary stay" of Nelson's order by not immediately opening the doors for football operations.

Now, four days after Nelson lifted the lockout, there are guidelines to follow.

Mandatory minicamps and voluntary offseason practices can begin under the rules in the old collective bargaining agreement. Team-supervised workouts will count toward such bonuses in player contracts, and players also can work out on their own at team facilities if they have health insurance in place.

The league will "promptly make arrangements" for the substance abuse and steroid programs to resume, and players can participate in team-sponsored community and charity functions.

Meanwhile, the legal battle will continue.

The league told the appeals court that the players "cannot have it both ways" by threatening contempt-of-court sanctions while also asking for a delay to address the NFL's request for a temporary stay.

And the NFL criticized Nelson, who late Wednesday rejected its request to put her order lifting the lockout on hold pending appeals. The league said her decision "blinks reality" and is "deeply flawed."

The NFL complained that the order has forced teams to "produce their collective product" and expose themselves to antitrust claims by the players -- claims that if held true can result in treble, or triple, damages. An antitrust lawsuit filed by Tom Brady, Drew Brees and other players is still pending before Nelson.

Without a stay, the NFL said, it would be impossible to "unscramble the egg in terms of player transactions (trades, signings, cuts) that would occur in the interim" before a ruling from the appeals court.

The league has proposed a specific timeline for the 8th Circuit appeal: a written opening argument due May 10, the same due for the players May 24, the NFL's reply due May 31 and a hearing after that "as soon as possible."

Such a timeline would mean the legal fight would stretch well into June, a month before training camps and only weeks before the first scheduled preseason game on Aug. 8.

In its 23-page motion, the league reiterated three arguments it unsuccessfully made to Nelson: that she had no jurisdiction while a bad-faith negotiation charge against the players is pending with the National Labor Relations Board; that federal law prevents the court from overseeing cases stemming from labor disputes; and that it shouldn't be subject to antitrust claims with the collective bargaining deal barely expired.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Fixed my post

Hazys

Wow free agency starts tomorrow morning...mid-draft!!!

Tomorrow is going to be crazy!!!!

Hazys

Actually its a minor disaster for the Pats, people are saying teams would want to trade for the Pats #28 pick to pick up a late 1st round QB...now they can just trade for Kolb or Palmer,etc