National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) announced today that attorney DeMaurice Smith has been named the new National Football League Players Association Executive Director. NFLPA Player Representatives, acting on behalf of the 32 NFL teams, selected Mr. Smith to succeed the late Gene Upshaw, who died in August. Mr. Smith becomes only the third Executive Director in NFLPA history and will serve a three-year term. He made the following statement regarding his new assignment:

“I’m humbled by their decision. I’m honored and proud to lead a great group of men. I think we understand the challenges that face us but we also understand the strength of our unity.”

The search for the new Executive Director began shortly after Mr. Upshaw’s death, when Acting Executive Director Richard Berthelsen, NFLPA President Kevin Mawae (Tennessee), and Executive Committee members Domonique Foxworth (Baltimore), Tony Richardson (New York Jets), Jeff Saturday (Indianapolis), Mike Vrabel (Kansas City) and Donovin Darius, were appointed to the Search Committee. Reilly Partners, an executive search firm based out of Chicago, was then hired to assist the Committee in its search. The NFLPA’s constitution requires that the Executive Director be elected by a majority of the members of the Board of Player Representatives. Mr. Smith was unanimously elected to the position.

Mr. Smith was selected from among three other finalists for the Executive Director position: former NFLPA Presidents Trace Armstrong and Troy Vincent and sports attorney David Cornwell. The four finalists were given the opportunity to speak directly to the 70 Player Representatives and Alternates in attendance during hour-long presentations on Saturday. They then met with Player Reps in smaller break-out sessions this morning before the official election took place in the afternoon. NFLPA President Kevin Mawae also made the following statement regarding today’s announcement:

“The Board of Player Representatives made a decision today that will chart the course of this organization. This decision is a legacy decision. It is one that will unify and strengthen the National Football League Players Association.”

Here’s a quick bio on Mr. Smith. He’s a trial lawyer and litigation partner at D.C. law firm Patton Boggs. He has defended individuals in high profile criminal cases and Congressional investigations while also representing Fortune 500 companies in criminal and complex civil cases, compliance matters, and internal investigations. He’s a former assistant U.S. attorney and previously served as counsel to then Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder in the U.S. Department of Justice. He graduated from Cedarville University and received his law degree from the University of Virginia. Mr. Smith is married with two children and will begin his term with the NFLPA immediately.

Source: NFLPlayers.com, Photo: Newscom

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DeMaurice Smith Named NFLPA Director

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NFL players will wear a uniform patch this season to honor deceased NFL Players Association leader Gene Upshaw who passed away on August 20 at the age of 63. The league announced today that the patch (which will be worn on the left chest of each jersey) will have the initials GU and the number 63, which Gene wore while playing for the Oakland Raiders. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell released the following statement:

“Gene was a truly unique, one-of-a-kind contributor to the NFL. No one in our game has ever combined Gene’s level of achievement both as a Hall of Fame player and as an executive leader. No one did more for NFL players than Gene Upshaw. He deserves our everlasting respect and thanks.”

This Thursday night, Gene will be honored as his wife Terri and his three sons — Eugene, Jr., Daniel and Justin — participate in the coin toss prior to the kickoff of the NFL season at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey when the Washington Redskins play the New York Giants.

I think this is a great move by the league and it’s very fitting that every team (not just the Raiders) will be wearing the patch. Gene served 25 years as the executive director of the union and his leadership helped the NFL and its players attain unprecedented success.

Source: ESPN.com

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NFL Players to Wear Uniform Patch This Season in Honor of Gene Upshaw

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

NFLPA (National Football League Players Association) executive director Gene Upshaw died last night at his home in Lake Tahoe, CA. Gene had pancreatic cancer, but the news comes as a shock because he was diagnosed only this past Sunday. The NFLPA Web site issued the following statement today:

“We are deeply saddened and shocked by the sudden and unexpected death of our leader, Gene Upshaw. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Terri, and their three sons – Eugene, Justin and Daniel. Gene learned he was sick just this past Sunday and he died with his family at his side. We ask that the media respect our need to begin the process of dealing with this unexpected tragedy and to begin the grieving process.”

Gene has been Executive Director of the NFLPA since June 1983, after a successful 16-year career as a player. Since then, he worked diligently at enhancing, protecting and defending the individual rights of professional football players throughout the National Football League. He also served as Chairman of National Football League Players Incorporated.

Gene was an All-Pro offensive guard for the Oakland Raiders and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987, his first year of eligibility. He played in 217 league games and appeared in six Pro Bowls. He was named Lineman of the Year in the AFC in 1973 and 1974. In 1977, he was voted top lineman in the NFL, and runner-up for that honor in 1980. Gene is the only player in NFL history to play in three Super Bowls in three different decades—in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.

Gene was a team captain, while also serving as an NFLPA player representative and officer for 13 years. He served as alternate representative or player representative for the Raiders from 1970 to 1976 and was a member of the executive committee from 1976 through 1980 when he was elected president of the NFLPA, a post to be held until 1983. As an officer of the NFLPA, Gene took part in all negotiations leading up to the 1977, 1982 and 1993 Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NFLPA and the NFL, and extensions of the CBA in 1996, 1998, 2002, and most recently, 2006.

Source: NFLPlayers.com, Photo: Newscom

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NFLPA Director Gene Upshaw Dead at 63

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Baltimore Ravens kicker Matt Stover has started a campaign to oust NFLPA Executive Director Gene Upshaw. Apparently, Matt emailed a plan of action to fellow player reps to have a new union boss in-place by 2009. In his email, a copy of which was somehow obtained by ESPN, Matt said, in-part:

“I feel that the board must begin to prepare for a change in leadership immediately. I believe we have the proper environment with our teammates and leadership within the board to execute the process of this selection.”

As far as I know, only Denver Broncos DB Domonique Foxworth has openly come out in support of Matt, but there are others. In a statement released by the Ravens today, Matt said the email was private and not intended for public consumption. What I can’t imagine is why any player would want to get rid of Gene before his term is over. I think he’s been a great asset to the union. Union president Kevin Mawae continues to support Gene, saying:

“Matt Stover’s letter does not reflect the view of the entire executive committee or the board of player representatives. The board is in the process of preparing for the possibility of a work stoppage and understands the importance of having Gene, with his experience and history, lead the direction of the NFLPA.”

It would be interesting to find out the numbers of players who are for or against Gene. His contract runs through 2010 and he has vowed to see the players through their upcoming (next year) labor negotiations with NFL owners.

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Player Reps Want Rid of Gene Upshaw

NFLPA Executive Director Gene Upshaw and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, at a meeting on July 24 with 11 prominent retired NFL players, announced a new $7 million fund for retired players to help pay for joint replacement surgeries and other medical assistance. The two also announced a commitment to new procedures to speed up disability awards to retired players. The announcement came as part of a new four-point initiative by the NFLPA/NFL aimed at addressing the concerns and needs of NFL retired players. The four-point program includes the following:

• Retired Players Medical and Assistance Fund. The NFLPA/NFL recently-formed “Alliance” to coordinate medical support services for retired players in need of care – comprised of the NFLPA Players Assistance Trust (PAT), the NFL Alumni Association’s Dire Need Fund, and the Hall of Fame Enshrinee Assistance Fund – has established an initial $7 million unified fund to pay for joint replacement surgeries and to address other financial hardships of retired players. Additional funding will be provided by current and retired players, and NFL clubs. The joint replacement surgeries will be available at no cost to retired players without insurance or with financial need. The NFLPA/NFL are in the process of identifying 10-15 leading medical centers across the country to provide these surgeries and developing a central point of contact and common application process.
• Improve and Expedite Disability Benefits Procedures. The NFLPA/NFL are committed to improving the process for obtaining disability benefits, including expediting and simplifying the application procedures to ensure that players entitled to disability benefits receive them as quickly as possible. The recent decision to apply Social Security guidelines to the NFL disability benefits is an important element of this effort.
• Cardiovascular Health (CVH) Program. The NFLPA/NFL will combine and expand their current cardiovascular health programs available to retired players, including their national subsidized CVH screening program with board-certified cardiologists identified by team doctors.
• Assisted Living and Improved Post-Retirement Health Insurance. Commissioner Goodell and Upshaw also said they would explore a new program to provide financial assistance to retired players to facilitate access to assisted living facilities and expanded health insurance options. These two initiatives will be areas of ongoing focus for the league and the Players Association.

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NFL, NFLPA Announce New Retirement Benefit Initiative

The National Football League Players Association’s (NFLPA) mission statement goes something like this:

“We, The National Football League Players Association … Pay homage to our predecessors for their courage, sacrifice, and vision; … Pledge to preserve and enhance the democratic involvement of our members; … Confirm our willingness to do whatever is necessary for the betterment of our membership – To preserve our gains and achieve those goals not yet attained.”

So why are some former NFL players complaining about their retirement plans? They claim the pension plan of the league and the union is insufficient, especially for disabled ex-players. The argument has become so heated that Congress will now hear testimony on June 26. The hearings are the latest development in a year-long dispute between a group of retired players (namely Joe DeLamielleure, Mike Ditka, Lem Barney, Harry Carson and Jerry Kramer) and Gene Upshaw, the executive director of the NFL Players Association. The latest flare-up came this week when Joe D. said he took literally a newspaper quote from Gene Upshaw who said that he’d like to “break his damn neck.” Oops, that might have been the wrong thing to say. Joe D. said he feared for his and his family’s safety, but I’m pretty sure Gene Upshaw is not going to send a posse to snuff out Joe D. or anyone related to him. It was probably blurted out in the heat of the moment, but still quite obviously it was the wrong thing to say. Anyway, the former players contend that the union has concentrated too much on current players and ignored the health problems of former players. Joe D. says Upshaw intentionally keeps current players uninformed about the plight of ex-players. I don’t know about that. I do know that Gene Upshaw once helped pay Lem Barney’s mortgage when he heard of his substantial medical bills. He also formed the “88 Plan” which provides up to $88,000 per year to families of former players suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. I could go on. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell commented:

“The retired players are important to us. They helped us build the game. I don’t think there’s anybody that I know of that’s done more for retired players or players in general than Gene Upshaw. I think he’s done a tremendous amount toward that. I think it’s unfortunate that this kind of thing is going on. I think that’s the reason Gene and I have talked about forming this alliance to make sure we can address these issues in a responsible fashion. I don’t think it’s helpful, but I understand it’s an emotional issue also.”

Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., chairwoman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and administrative law, called the hearing because the committee had seen recent reports that the benefit plan for retired players might be stacked against players who need serious medical care. While I do agree that the retired players helped build the league into the behemoth it now is and therefore deserve to be well taken care of, I also think Gene Upshaw has done a good job of going to bat for the active and retired players. I would tend to think maybe the former players might just be out for a bigger piece of the pie. Do they deserve it? We’ll find out more June 26.

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Congress to Hear Retired Player Testimonies

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NFL Player Advisory Council Set