Politics as usual in search for next union chief

Posted on February 9, 2009 by

by Jason Cole/Yahoo Sports

The search for the next executive director of the NFL Players Association has led two of the men leading the search into the offices of the U.S. Congress, a moment that couldn’t be more symbolic.

Like most races for office, the battle for NFLPA’s top job has become very political, very ugly and potentially very harmful to the hopes of avoiding labor strife in the next few years.

From accusations against staff members to accusations of a failed coup to the belief that certain agents have too much power, multiple factions have weighed in – both behind the scenes and in public – about the successor to the late Gene Upshaw, who died in August days after finding out he had pancreatic cancer.

While some of the contentiousness can be explained away by some as simple politics, the bigger issue is that whoever survives the selection process could encounter hard feelings from the other factions. Combined with the natural tendency of a new leader to have to prove himself, there is concern among many that the process could impact the upcoming negotiations with the NFL over the collective bargaining agreement.

Or as Shaun O’Hara, the New York Giants Pro Bowl center and team player representative to the NFLPA, put it this week: “This is not a good time for us to be divided.” READ MORE

About Jeff Nixon

Jeff was a first team consensus All-American from the University of Richmond in 1978. He is 7th in NCAA history with 23 career interceptions. Played for the Buffalo Bills 1979-1984. Led the team with 6 interceptions in Rookie Year. Holds Bills record for 4 takeaways in a single game - 3 interceptions and a fumble recovery. Tied Bills record with four consecutive games with an interception. After 5 knee surgeries Jeff retired from pro football in 1985. He worked for 13 years (1988-2000) as the Youth Bureau Director for Buffalo and Erie County. He has worked for the past 11 years as the Youth Employment Director for Buffalo. Plays guitar and was voted best R&B guitar player by Buffalo Nightlife Magazine in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

One Response to Politics as usual in search for next union chief

  1. CC says:
    February 11, 2009 at 5:16 am

    Not just politics.Looks like Vincent has some real baggage:

    Members of the National Football League’s Players Association fret that a leading candidate to replace Gene Upshaw as executive director has a history of failed businesses and questionable personal ties with a felon who stole $150,000 from a former player, The Post has learned.

    http://www.nypost.com/seven/02102009/business/out_of_bounds_154312.htm

Comments are closed.