NFLPA Exec Dir DeMaurice Smith Addresses CBA, Other League Issues

Smith Says Lockout Looming On NFL's Horizon, Not A Work Stoppage

NFLPA Exec Dir DeMaurice Smith yesterday appeared on ESPN's "Jim Rome Is Burning" and spent the majority of the conversation discussing the current CBA talks and the possibility of a work stoppage after the '10 season. Smith said, "Our guys want to play football. They signed an agreement in 2006 that was supposed to go until 2012. As you know, the owners opted out of that agreement ... and what's looming on the horizon is a lockout, which I don't really consider a work stoppage." Smith noted the league and the union have had two meetings on a new CBA, which he described as "productive," though he added, "I look forward to a time where we can better understand why a deal that was signed in 2006 that was supposed to go until 2012 isn't good enough." Smith: "I do know that the deal generated almost $8(B) in revenue for the (NFL). So the first step is understanding where we are. The second step is, as young men, as businessmen facing the prospect of being locked out of your business, what do you do? You take steps and you take every step that you can to make sure that doesn't happen." When ESPN's Jim Rome asked Smith if he feels like the owners are "negotiating in good faith," Smith said, "I'm certainly not going to go into the mind of an owner." Smith: "Where we are right now is we're at the early stages of talks, and I look forward to a time when we can have substantive talks and discuss what issues that may need to be fixed."

RETIREES UNDER THE GUN: The '10 season is currently on pace to be played without a salary cap, and Smith said under that scenario, retired players who are earning disability "are facing a situation where ... their disability payments can be cut by more than 50%." Smith: "They need to understand that what happens when the owners walked away from this deal, what ramifications occur for a disabled veteran of this game." Rome noted the late Gene Upshaw, Smith's predecessor, said retired players were not the responsibility of the union. Smith replied, "I have a very clear understanding of what my job is, and I think I've got a pretty clear understanding of how we need to approach the challenges, and part of that is understanding that the retired players made this game. ... I truly believe that in Gene's heart he understood that his job was to represent the retired players. I'm happy to carry on that legacy" ("Jim Rome Is Burning," ESPN, 7/27).