David Rosenthal

So it's obvious to Rozelle, once the AFL signs their big deal with ABC, that that's the path forward.

The league-wide, revenue-sharing, national deal with the national network deal.

Now, this is not how the NFL operates at this point.

Roselle corrals all the NFL owners and gets them to realize that the NFL has to do the same thing.

They have to give up their individual TV rights.

They have to pull together and fight the AFL.

So Rozelle goes and negotiates with CBS, which was the dominant network, both in the country and had the majority of the individual team NFL deals.

He negotiates a two-year deal with CBS at $4.65 million in rights per year to be shared equally among the teams.

A huge shot across the bow to the AFL.

Fortunately and unfortunately, they immediately encounter political pressure in response to this.

This triggers the Department of Justice to start an antitrust violation process against the NFL.

This is like a clear use of monopoly power.

Right.

If the teams are the business, then yes, this is antitrust.

If the NFL is the business...

No.

So pretty immediately, the courts strike down this deal.

And there's about, I think, a one to two month period where it's all in limbo.

And this is where the Kennedy relationships come in clutch for Rozelle and the NFL.

So both the president and Bobby Kennedy in Congress whip up enough support to pass through new congressional legislation.