A CFL source said that the NFL's Senior Dir of Int'l
Marketing, Gordon Smeaton, is under "serious consideration"
for the post of CFL Commissioner, according to Marty York of
the Toronto GLOBE & MAIL. The source, on Smeaton: "He has a
business acumen. He's experienced in professional football.
He's young and enthusiastic. And he's Canadian." York
noted that "more than 50 men -- no women -- have applied to
become CFL commissioner." Lynn Bishop, member of the CFL
search committee, said that CFL COO Jeff Giles "remains the
leading candidate" for the CFL post (GLOBE & MAIL, 5/10).
NFL NOTES: NEWSDAY's Bob Glauber: "Don't look now, but
NFL labor unrest may be on the horizon. No, another strike
isn't imminent, but tensions about the salary cap are giving
player and management representatives some uneasy feelings
of late." NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue: "The cap is not
working. That's clear in terms of the level of spending and
some clubs' ability to deal with the spending." Glauber:
"The NFL is entering sensitive contract negotiations with
the [TV] networks, and long-term labor peace will be a key
element of the talks" (NEWSDAY, 5/11)....In San Diego, Jerry
Magee profiled ex-Charger lineman Walt Sweeney, who won a
lawsuit against the NFL's player pension plan when he
claimed he had been psychologically disabled by drugs made
available by the team. Sweeney's "landmark action was
expected to open a Pandora's box of sorts, with other former
players pursuing similar suits." But Sweeney's attorney,
Rhonda Thompson, said that "anyone considering such a course
is apt to find it difficult to obtain representation.
Attorneys, she said, are loath to take on matters when they
may have to wait years to be compensated, and then not in
the degree they had hoped" (UNION-TRIBUNE, 5/8).
