A federal appeals court on Monday threw out a class action filed by National Football League retirees who claimed they were squeezed out of a deal negotiated amid the 2011 player lockout.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed a lower court’s dismissal, finding that the retirees failed to show they could have negotiated a deal better than the $900 million in additional retiree benefits the agreement ultimately yielded.