At first glance, DeMaurice Smith seems an unlikely choice to succeed Gene Upshaw as the executive director of the NFL Players Association.
Upshaw was a Hall of Fame offensive lineman, an intimidating man who stood an intimidating 6-foot-5 in his prime. But intimidation isn’t Smith’s style. A former champion sprinter and a successful prosecutor and trial lawyer, Smith put those skills to work when he convinced the NFLPA’s 11-player executive committee to choose him last month to replace the late Upshaw.
Armed with a ready smile, measured tones and a less than threatening appearance, the 45-year-old litigation partner at the D.C. law firm of Patton Boggs bested a field that included former NFLPA presidents Troy Vincent and Trace Armstrong and sports agent David Cornwell in last month’s election to succeed Upshaw, whose 28-year reign ended with his unexpected death from cancer in August.
Raised in Glenarden by parents who were government employees, Smith takes over the NFLPA as it heads into critical collective bargaining negotiations with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the owners amid the nation’s worst economic climate since the sport’s earliest days.READ MORE
