Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Pat Williams says he doesn’t know if he can trust the NFL anymore—this after the league failed to tell its players that the over-the-counter supplement StarCaps secretly contained a prescription diuretic banned by the NFL. Pat and Vikings teammate Kevin Williams continue to face four-game suspensions to start the 2009 season if their ongoing appeal is overturned.
Pat is willing to take his medicine, so to speak, but he feels betrayed:
“Basically now I got to hold trust issues with the NFL. I don’t know if I can trust them now. If I did something wrong, I’m going …read more

San Diego Chargers tackle Jeromey Clary earned the top figure in the NFL’s “Performance-Based Pay” system that awards players for playing time based upon their salary level.

Approximately $105 million of Performance-Based Pay was distributed to players in the system for their performance during the 2008 playing season. Jeromey was a 2006 sixth-round draft selection from Kansas State and earned $405,859 in additional pay.
Performance-Based Pay was created as part of the NFL’s 2002 Collective Bargaining Agreement extension with the National Football League Players Association. The system creates a fund used to supplement player compensation based on a comparison of …read more

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 …read more

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast
U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson blocked the NFL from suspending five players (Kevin Williams, Pat Williams, Charles Grant, Deuce McAllister and Will Smith) for violating the league’s anti-doping policy because he needed more time to consider the case after hearing several hours of arguments from the league and the NFL Players Association today. Afterward, the NFL released the following statement:
“Judge Magnuson made clear this afternoon that he needed more time to fully and carefully consider all of the briefs, arguments, and cases put before him. We welcome that scrutiny. We are confident that, once he …read more

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast
The NFL announced today the suspension without pay for four games of six players that violated the NFL Policy on Anabolic Steroids and Related Substances. The players specifically violated a longstanding provision of the policy relating to the use of diuretics and water pills, which serve as masking agents for steroids and are potentially dangerous to the health of players.
The policy states that the use of so-called “blocking” or “masking” agents, including diuretics and water pills, is prohibited and that a positive test will not be excused because it results from the use of a …read more

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 …read more

Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL
In a post from June 27, I was talking about the “conversation” I attended with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell — specifically the topic of rookie salaries. Well, here are some points to keep in mind regarding the contention that high rookie contracts are good for NFL veterans because they drive veteran contracts higher:

It’s not true that exorbitant rookie salaries benefit the veterans as a group. It can’t be, not in a capped system.
In a capped system, there is a defined amount of money in the system. It’s one pie and a zero-sum game …read more

Photo courtesy Winuk Communications
Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL
Former N.Y. Giants defensive end George Martin just completed a 3,000 mile, nine-month walk across America. His purpose? To raise money to help provide health care for the surviving rescue and recovery workers who rushed into danger on 9/11. The journey began at the George Washington Bridge in New York City and ended at Embarcadero Marina Park in San Diego this past weekend. George’s Journey for 9/11 has raised more than $2 million to benefit ailing rescue and recovery personnel who worked at Ground Zero:
“Cancer, chronic asthma, PTSD, gastrointestinal disease; …read more

Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL

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 …read more

Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images for NFL PLAYERS
Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Warrick Dunn was presented with the 42nd annual Byron “Whizzer” White Award, the NFL Players Association’s (NFLPA) highest honor, yesterday at the NFL PLAYERS Gala featuring the JB Awards in Washington, D.C. Warrick was one of several NFL players honored by James Brown, host of “THE NFL TODAY” on CBS, along with “THE NFL TODAY” analyst and former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher.
The event, which recognized NFL players for their individual contributions to their communities, raised nearly $1 million, the …read more