The NFL Coaches Association filed an amicus brief with the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday, supporting the players' effort to have the lockout lifted.
The first official response from the league's coaching fraternity came Thursday.
The Washington Redskins' coaches released a joint statement to NFL.com and NFL Network, dotted with 17 signatures from staff members, throwing support behind the owners, not the players.
"We stand united with our ownership, and the brief does not reflect our thoughts on the matter," the letter reads. "We, like everyone else, are hopeful that we can return to playing football. We look forward to a new CBA, and welcoming back our players as soon as possible."
According to a team source, a large part of the problem the coaches had with the brief was that they weren't consulted with it first. Head coach Mike Shanahan didn't sign the letter because he's also vice president of football operations, which makes him management.
The NFLCA did reach out to Kirk Olivadotti, the Redskins' former representative, but Olivadotti left the team earlier in the offseason to coach at the University of Georgia. The NFLCA's brief didn't have names attached to it.
"It's not something you need names to do," NFLCA director Larry Kennan said. "We are, by definition, a friend of the court, and we're telling the court we're doing this because we'd like the lockout to end. It was never a requirement to put names on it."
