If anyone expected U.S. District Judge David Doty to issue a quick ruling Thursday in favor of the players' union and its efforts to freeze $4 billion in television revenue, well, the judge executed a perfect play fake.

Saying he did not want to put his "thumb on the scales" of labor negotiations between the National Football League and the NFL Players Association, Doty said he would rule later regarding the union's appeal of an earlier decision by a special master.

Doty has presided over cases involving the NFL, the players' union and their collective bargaining agreements for the past 19 years. The league has previously alleged that Doty has a pro-union bias and has previously sought to have Doty removed from cases.

On Thursday, however, there was no such rhetoric. In fact, the judge seemed leery of doing anything that would shift the balance of power to one side or the other while negotiations on a new deal are ongoing.

"It appears that what you would like the court to do is put its thumb on the scales," Doty told union attorneys.

To which NFLPA attorney Jeffrey Kessler replied: "We think their violations put their thumb on the scales."

The union had asked Doty to issue an injunction, setting aside the ruling by special master Stephen Burbank, who refused earlier this month to put $4 billion in 2011 television revenue into escrow while the league and its players negotiate. The current CBA expires March 3 at 11 p.m. CST, and the NFL is expected to then impose a lockout.

The NFLPA wanted the TV money placed in escrow until the lockout ended, and to have part of the money refunded if the season is cut short. Union attorneys Thursday said the NFL had planned to use that money to finance the lockout, giving team owners revenue even if games are not played in 2011. Attorney Tom Heiden called it "a war chest" that would be used as leverage against the players.

That, attorneys for the union argued, was a violation of the league's agreement with its players. They said Burbank made errors in his ruling and asked the judge to set it aside.

But NFL attorney Gregg Levy told Doty that the special master's decision was appropriate and correct. He said if the judge did as the union is asking, he would be influencing negotiations in favor of the union. After the hearing, Levy said the league will have to pay back the $4 billion to television networks -- "with interest" -- if no games are played in 2011.

"This was not a gift," he said of the TV money.

Levy refused to speculate on when Doty might rule, although Heiden guessed the judge might make a decision in about a week.

Doty did rule to unseal a redacted version of the special master's report as well as related briefs. The Star Tribune and Pioneer Press had joined in the NFLPA's request to unseal those documents.

If there is a lockout, the NFL draft would go on as scheduled April 28-30, but all other activities -- including mini-camps and organized team activities -- would not.

The main issue is how to divide the league's annual revenue -- $9 billion in 2010. The players get 59.5 percent of the revenue after the owners take a $1 billion operating-cost credit off the top. The owners are asking for an additional $1 billion credit that they say would produce new revenue.

Other issues include the league's push to increase the regular season from 16 to 18 games, implementing a rookie wage scale while distributing that savings to veterans and former players and better health care and pension plans.

Each side has argued that the other side isn't negotiating in good faith. The NFL filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board on Feb. 15, accusing the players' union of preferring to decertify once the lockout arrives. That would lead to players being able to challenge the league in court, similar to what happened when the players won their current free agency system 19 years ago.

Meanwhile, the players' union has accused the league all along of preferring a lockout. The union has cited the league's hiring of outside counsel Bob Batterman, who led negotiations for the NHL during its 2004-2005 lockout. But a key is the NFLPA's belief that the $4 billion in television money gives the owners a big bargaining advantage.

The sides have until Aug. 1, when training camps open, to avoid a delayed start to the regular season. However, the sense of urgency has already begun in a league that normally would be less than two weeks from the start of free agency.

Staff writer Mark Craig contributed to this story