NFLPA Exec Dir DeMaurice Smith on Thursday ruled out renewing the current NFL-NFLPA CBA, though he did praise it for delivering four straight years of double digit salary cap increases and gains for player health and safety. There had been some hope within the league that the union might renew the existing CBA, now at the halfway mark of its 10-year term. Smith in comments Thursday at the NFLPA's annual Super Bowl press conference ruled that out. He pointed to several issues, including whether the players should continue to give the league stadium credits. These credits reduce the revenue shared with players so teams can invest in stadiums. Speaking after the press conference, he said, “If the league continues to be interested in the investment in stadiums by players, all I am saying is in the future I would anticipate that investment would come with more information and more control decisions on how things are being used.” In his press conference remarks, he said players could have a say in deciding sites for stadiums and how they are built. He also stressed the union's objections to the player disciplinary process in which NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell often has the final say (Daniel Kaplan, Staff Writer). Smith said, "I honestly believe that having a neutral arbitrator decide these issues is better for Roger. But, so far, the owners don't want to do that and until they make a decision to go another way, we'll just fight like we always have" (BOSTON HERALD, 2/3).
UNION STILL FOCUSED ON CONCUSSIONS: ESPN.com's Dan Graziano reported the NFL's concussion protocol will "continue to be a major focus for the league and its players moving forward," and NFLPA leaders "made it clear Thursday they would continue to do what they could to hold teams' feet to the fire on the matter." Smith said, "We will never be satisfied with where the league is on concussions. Our job is to do whatever we can to make sure the employer is maintaining a workplace that's as safe as possible." In light of the recent finding by the league and union that the Dolphins "didn't properly follow the in-game concussion protocol" with QB Matt Moore in a playoff game last month, NFLPA members "made it clear they would continue to work to make sure the protocol was refined and followed." Giants LB and NFLPA Exec Council Member Mark Herzlich said, "For the most part it's been working well. But Matt Moore, that's something that can't happen, where the announcers and millions of people watching knew he should be taken back to the locker room (for evaluation), and he wasn't" (ESPN.com, 2/2). Bengals OT and NFLPA President Eric Winston said, "We have to work with the teams and the teams have to work and do their jobs when it comes to concussion protocol. There has to be a better adherence to the concussion protocol. Even though it’s a handful of times that we’ve had to issue things or investigate, it’s still too many" (WASHINGTON POST, 2/3).
HELPING HAND: NFLPA officials said that the union has "reached out to all families of active Muslim players" in the wake of President Trump's controversial immigration order. Winston said, "We have their backs. And that’s it. And we’re going to do whatever we can. I’ll go stand with them." USA TODAY's Tom Pelissero notes no active NFL players are "thought to be directly impacted" by the order. However, Smith said the union "notified and sent information to all of those families that are members of the National Football League, just to tell them that if they need anything from their union, that we’re there a hundred percent" (USA TODAY, 2/3).
