The NFL and its team owners suffered a critical legal setback when the league’s motion to dismiss a collusion lawsuit from Colin Kaepernick was thrown out by an arbitrator, TMZ reports.

“It’s a hugely significant ruling,” the website reports, noting that the decision “paves the way for a full-blown trial in which NFL owners will have to testify under oath.”

“The NFL had filed legal docs alleging Kaepernick’s legal argument — that NFL owners conspired to keep him out of the league — was baseless and without evidence,” TMZ reports. “The arbitrator disagreed, concluding there was sufficient evidence present in the former QB’s legal docs to allow his case to go forward.”

The report notes that a number of NFL owners, including the Dallas Cowboys’ Jerry Jones and Texans owner Bob McNair, have already been deposed in connection with the case, suggesting that their testimony may have figured into the arbitrator’s decision.

“Now Kaepernick’s lawyers, Mark Geragos and Ben Meiselas, will have an opportunity for a trial and put the owners under oath,” TMZ reports. “The end game — proving they talked, conspired and colluded to keep Colin off the field. If that is proven, the entire NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement could be in jeopardy.”