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Leagues and Governing Bodies

NFLPA's George Atallah Brushes Off Josh Norman's Criticism Of Union, De Smith

NFLPA Assistant Exec Dir of External Affairs George Atallah on Wednesday responded to Redskins CB Josh Norman's recent criticism of NFLPA Exec Dir DeMaurice Smith, saying that any player who thinks Smith "is in cahoots" with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell "hasn't really been paying attention for a while," according to Dan Steinberg of the WASHINGTON POST. Norman in the latest issue of ESPN The Magazine accused Smith of being "in cahoots" with the league. Atallah during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio strongly disputed that, saying "That is probably the most interesting criticism I've ever heard of De and this union. ... Players have information available to them, (and) they have a responsibility to kind of look at what our role is and how we've engaged with the league over the last six or seven years." He added of the relationship between Smith and Goodell, "I don't want to make light of it, but you know, they aren't exactly coming back from summer vacation together this week to go to preseason games" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 8/25).

GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS? ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Steelers LB James Harrison met with NFL officials Thursday for "about 40 minutes at the Steelers' practice facility" to discuss allegations of PED use made in an Al-Jazeera report late last year. Sources said that "details are scarce, but the interview did go smoothly." Fowler: "The belief from everybody involved is the NFL entered the interview with nothing and they left it with nothing as far as credible evidence.” ESPN's Dan Graziano reported the NFLPA is "annoyed" by the investigation into the Al-Jazeera claims. Union officials "feel like they acknowledged the league has the responsibility to investigate serious charges." Graziano: "They dispute that this report rises to that level, so they feel like their players are being inconvenienced and they feel like they’re surrendering their right to sort of push back on, ‘Hey, only come to me when you have something real.’” ESPN’s Ed Werder noted this is a "reflection of the bad state of the relationship" between Goodell and Smith. Werder: "Both sides would agree that they've done things like this that ordinarily they wouldn't have done perhaps to the same extent if they'd had a positive, good business relationship. I think the union looks at this as the NFL ... is emboldened by the recent court decisions that have backed them on Tom Brady and the others. That's what this is really all about, it’s an expansion of power” ("NFL Insiders," ESPN, 8/25).

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