NFLPA's DeflateGate Legal Fees Reached $3.5 Million ... Before Hiring Ted Olson
BOSTON (CBS) -- In news that does not come as a surprise but is now nevertheless official, the DeflateGate legal battle cost a whole lot of money.
ESPN's Lester Munson reported Thursday, via billing records filed with the U.S. Department of Labor, that from March 1, 2015 through Feb. 29, 2016, the legal fees for the union came in at about $3.5 million.
That dollar figure covered the appeal hearing at NFL headquarters, the appeal process before Judge Richard Berman in the district court, and the preparation for the appeal process before the Second Circuit.
Notably, the $3.5 million tally does not include the price tag for attorney Ted Olson, who was hired at the end of March and prepared a brief requesting an en banc rehearing.
Munson said that attorney Jeffrey Kessler's bills came in around $700,000, and that Olson's price should be "at least" that high.
Munson reported that the legal fees are paid via revenue made from jersey and merchandise sales, and not players' annual dues to the union.
In March, ESPN's Darren Rovell estimated the eventual price tag on DeflateGate to be about $5 million for the union and $12.5 million for the league. While the latter likely won't be known publicly, the forecast was fairly accurate on the former.