ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, December 31, 1993                   TAG: 9312310120
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

REDSKINS CLEARED TO PLAY

A DISPUTE over union dues won't keep up to 34 Washington Redskins out of today's game against the Minnesota Vikings after a federal judge intervened.

A federal judge Thursday refused to order the Washington Redskins to suspend up to 34 players from today's final game of the season for failing to pay union dues.

The NFL Players Association had asked for the suspension, claiming it would be harmed by the players' refusal to pay $5,000 each.

But U.S. District Judge Joyce Hens Green, an admitted Redskins fan, ruled the injury to the public would be much greater.

"The Redskins-Minnesota Vikings game is the only broadcast game to be scheduled for New Year's Eve and will generate a huge amount of revenue for the NFL," the judge wrote.

Several Washington players said they would sit out the game and forfeit the final week's paycheck rather than pay the dues of $5,000 each.

"We're glad this is behind us," Redskins general manager Charlie Casserly said from the team's practice site in Ashburn. "We're happy we'll have all our players from the game."

Added cornerback Darrell Green, the team's union representative: "I said it would work out all along and it did."

The NFLPA had argued that if it cannot collect its dues now, it would lose the money owed by the one-third of the players who normally do not return to the sport.

But Judge Green said the damage to the union pales in comparison with the importance of the game.

"As always, a sellout crowd of 55,000 fans is expected to attend the game in Washington, D.C., untold millions will watch the game on CBS and listen to the audio broadcasts of that game," she said.

"Further, the very playoff life of the Minnesota Vikings and the other team who is competing with Minnesota for a playoff berth will be affected should various Redskins players be suspended from playing in tomorrow's game."

The union made the request to Green after a Virginia judge barred the suspension of tight end Terry Orr, a leader of the non-paying players.

Keywords:
FOOTBALL 


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