Houston Oilers v. Neely
United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
361 F.2d 36 (1966)
After being drafted by both the NFL's Colts and AFL's Oilers (plaintiff), Neely (defendant) signed a four-year contract with the Oilers on December 1, 1964, which included financial and business incentives; though Neely wanted the deal kept secret so he could still play in an upcoming bowl game, AFL rules required filing the contract within ten days, and Neely was later declared ineligible to play. After learning the Colts had traded his rights to Dallas, Neely (through his father-in-law) negotiated with Dallas, repudiated his Oilers contract, and signed with Dallas; the Oilers sued for an injunction, and the trial court, applying the clean-hands doctrine against Houston's secrecy arrangement, ruled for Neely.
Whether professional and amateur athletes, and those connected to athletics, are bound by their contracts to the same extent as anyone else, unable to repudiate them at will.