Redskins rookie LB LaVar Arrington has "mystified" the
team and sports industry execs by "becoming the only NFL
player in recent memory to refuse to allow" the NFLPA's
Players Inc to use his name or likeness on merchandise (see
THE DAILY, 7/27), according to Eric Fisher of the WASHINGTON
TIMES. Arrington and his agents are "seeking a greater
percentage of the pie, and seem to be placing the burden of
dealmaking on the union." But the NFLPA, "of course,
doesn't want to make an exception" for Arrington, as that
would "open up a Pandora's box for everyone wanting a better
cut than the next guy." Arrington: "It's up to [the NFLPA]
whether we can work something out. There are some things
we're still trying to get established. We're trying to get
it hammered out." Fisher noted that any player who signs
with Players Inc "receives an equal share" of licensing
revenues, some of which goes to union dues, and that the
annual share has "amounted to about" $5,000 per player in
recent years. But "star players also receive" an additional
6% of the wholesale cost of any merchandise bearing his name
or likeness. While Arrington "perhaps could make more money
if he somehow fought to win" the right to use his name along
with NFL-owned Redskins marks, no individual player has
"challenged the system to obtain those kind of licensing
rights for one simple reason: it's just not worth the
effort." Players Inc President Doug Allen said the NFLPA
paid out more than $20M in licensing royalties to players
last year. Allen: "This situation is really mystifying,
because any player who isn't signed (with Players Inc) is
costing himself money" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 7/30).
