No individual coaches were named in the brief and many have since spoken out against it. Eagles head coach Andy Reid became the latest as he released the following statement through the team on Thursday.
"The Philadelphia Eagles coaching staff was not aware that a brief was being filed by the NFL Coaches Association in the 8th Circuit Court against the NFL Owners last week," the statement read. "We were surprised by the filing and do not support it in any way."
The NFL Coaches Association is not a formal union. The NFL's coaches are not a part of any union. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals is the site for a hearing on Friday to hear arguments as to whether the current work stoppage is legal. After an initial ruling that the work stoppage was not legal, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals granted a temporary stay followed by a permanent one to put the work stoppage back into effect pending Friday's appeal.
ESPN was the first to report that on Wednesday select NFL owners and Commissioner Roger Goodell met with DeMaurice Smith, the executive director of the NFLPA, and a few other players outside of Chicago. This was not a publicly scheduled meeting. The NFL and the players are also set to resume court-mandated mediation sessions next Tuesday in Minneapolis.
UPDATE: Mark Maske of the Washington Post reported on Twitter that the NFL and the players are meeting Thursday. Also, Wednesday's meeting was in the presence of a mediator.
