Did NFLPA go too far in taping Ravens election?
Earlier this week members of the Baltimore Ravens held a team meeting for the purpose of electing a player representative and alternate player representative to the NFLPA. On hand for the elections were executives from the NFLPA’s offices in Washington whose presence was thought to be for adversarial purposes only. However, subsequent findings bring the executives presence into question.
After the elections were concluded Ravens’ players were surprised to find that the entire process had been recorded by NFLPA executives. What makes this even worse is the fact that none of these NFLPA executives requested permission nor did they advise the players that their ‘team-only’ election process was being taped.
Did the actions of NFLPA executives compromise the Baltimore elections? Probably not since the players didn’t realize they were being taped at the time of the elections. However, the taping of the election brings more serious questions to the table.
What was the purpose of taping the elections? After all, the NFLPA executives were on hand for adversarial purposes only.
Is it a common practice for player rep elections to be taped? If so, players of NFL chapters across the country should beware, “Anything said can and will be used against you in a court of law or public opinion.”
On the surface, taping of union elections seems to be a benign endeavor, but when you think of the cancerous effects it could have on a democratic process it could be deadly. Just imagine how this year’s presidential election might be altered if we knew our actions in the voting booth were being taped for possible broadcast.
Is this another Gestapo-style undertaking by the NFLPA to affect the election process or was this a process of ‘technological record keeping?’ We may never know the answer, what we do know is the NFLPA continues to act without common logic and the leadership that is needed.
