Lockout legal question

[Lubeck]

No story I have seen adequetly explains to me why the lockout was ruled illegal by the judge. To the best of my knowledge the CBA had a clause that allowed either side to opt out. The owners opted out. So what gives the federal government the authority to tell the owners they have to have a season? The best I have been able to comprehend so far is that it is some sort of labor issue. And the NFL is arguing that nothing should be done about the lockout until the National Labor Relations Board which has a dispute between the owners and players infront of it resolves that dispute....which to me seems like where a labor issue should be resolved not in a court of law.

 

Other than that the only thing I have heard that could explain how this ended up in the courts is the players arguing that the lockout is hurting them because the life of an NFL player is so short this time not playing is hurting their careers....but it has been what 2 months since the Super Bowl? How much have their careers truly been hurt? And by decertifying and essentially walking out of the mediated discussions in DC and not extending the CBA deadline wasn't it the players who were acting in bad faith? (Oh that happens to be the issue before the NLRB)