Players in the National Football League have secured a victory in their battle against the team owners when a federal court judge accepted their application for an injunction on Monday, lifting the lockout to mid-March. Judge Susan Richard Nelson went on the side of the players who argued that the lockout, now in its second month, was causing irreparable harm to their careers.

The NFL has already stated its intention to appeal the decision and asked the judge to suspend its decision to the end of this process.
Meanwhile, the lockout is suspended and players’ agents have advised their clients to report to their respective teams on Tuesday. A spokesman for the NFL Network confirmed that players have access to training facilities.

This dispute is the first in the NFL since 1987. The sharing of $9 billion in revenue generated annually by the circuit is at the heart of the dispute between team owners and players. The negotiations had ended on March 11.