Key facts
- U.S. District Judge David S. Doty, who played a key role in shaping the modern NFL, died at 96.
- Doty presided over the 1993 agreement that established free agency and the salary cap in the NFL.
- He was appointed to the federal bench in 1987 by President Ronald Reagan.
- Doty served as the ultimate arbiter for NFL labor disputes for nearly two decades.
- He ruled in 2011 that the NFL had violated its collective bargaining agreement.
David S. Doty, a United States District Judge who played a pivotal role in shaping the modern National Football League through his handling of labor disputes, has died at the age of 96. Doty, who served on the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, passed away on June 27, 2026, just days before his 97th birthday.
Appointed to the federal bench by President Ronald Reagan in 1987, Doty gained senior status in 1998 and continued to preside over cases until shortly before his death. His judicial career was marked by his significant involvement in NFL labor matters for nearly two decades.
Doty famously presided over the 1993 class-action settlement, named after lead plaintiff Reggie White, which paved the way for modern free agency and the implementation of a salary cap in the league. He was designated in the collective bargaining agreement as the ultimate arbiter for grievances between the NFL Players Association and the NFL Management Council.
In a notable 2011 ruling, Doty found that the NFL had violated the collective bargaining agreement by negotiating a $4 billion payment from broadcasting partners, which was effectively insurance against a potential lockout. Throughout his career, he handled thousands of civil and criminal cases with a demeanor that could shift from pleasant to stern as needed.