NFLPA Unrest Comes After Failed Coup Attempt Against Upshaw
By Liz Mullen, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal
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Relationship Between Upshaw (l) And Vincent
Rumored To Have Deteriorated In Recent Months |
News of unrest at the NFLPA that surfaced yesterday comes in the wake of what multiple sources say was a coup attempt against Exec Dir Gene Upshaw that failed to get off the ground at the union’s meetings in March, as well as a deteriorating relationship between Upshaw and outgoing NFLPA President Troy Vincent. Rumors of a rift between Upshaw and Vincent -- who has been dubbed by several media outlets as Upshaw’s likely successor -- have been circulating in agent and player circles since the NFLPA annual meetings in Maui in mid-March. Last month, two agents working for competing agencies told SportsBusiness Journal that their clients, who are player reps, were approached at the March meetings and asked to vote Upshaw out and Vincent in.
GAINES PROMOTED TO NFLPA NO. 2: Yesterday’s news came one day after the NFLPA posted a small item on its Web site announcing that Upshaw had promoted longtime union employee and former Jets RB Clark Gaines to Assistant Exec Dir, a job Vincent had reportedly been expected to get. Yahoo Sports reported on March 19, a day after the NFLPA’s meetings ended, that Vincent expected to be named Assistant Exec Dir of the NFLPA. The original story was attributed to Vincent himself, but the story later was removed from the site and a second story reporting the same information was attributed to two unnamed sources. Vincent could not be reached for comment Tuesday, but in phone conversations and e-mails in the last two weeks Vincent told SportsBusiness Journal that he was not the source of that story and was not involved in any effort to try to unseat Upshaw and have himself named executive director of the NFLPA. “Why would I do that?” Vincent said in a telephone conversation in late March. “I don’t think there needs to be a change.”
PLAYERS NOT FOR OUSTING UPSHAW: Agents, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said their clients were not interested in voting Upshaw out. One agent, who represents multiple players at the meetings, said that one of his players was approached with the proposal, but another knew nothing about it. This agent said those favoring the proposal to replace Upshaw “had some support, but not enough.” Sources said that a proposal to replace Upshaw was never brought up for a vote on the floor of the meeting and, in fact, was never discussed inside the official union meetings. Vincent, in an e-mail to SportsBusiness Journal, said that if all 69 player reps were contacted, none would say that they were approached by him about replacing Upshaw. Vincent also said that he was not involved in any campaigning for his former teammate, Eagles S Brian Dawkins, who lost the player president election to Titans C Kevin Mawae.
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Mawae Says He Did Not Have Plans To Run
For NFLPA President Heading Into Meeting |
MAWAE PRESIDENT RUN UNFORESEEN: Sources told SportsBusiness Journal that Mawae did not originally intend to run for NFLPA President, but changed his mind in Maui when he saw what was going on at the meeting. Asked about this, Mawae e-mailed SportsBusiness Journal last Friday, and wrote, “I have read the things coming out in the media, and about power moves and the like. I will not get in any discussions regarding the politics of the meetings, nor will I discredit anyone who was at the meetings in Maui.” Mawae wrote he went to Maui “with the plan to step away from the union,” but decided to run for NFLPA President when the candidate he supported decided not to run for the position. He did not say who that candidate was, but sources said it was Colts C Jeff Saturday, who decided not to run because the commitment would mean time away from his children. “It was then that I really began to reconsider, because I felt like I put 10 years into the union and helped to get us to the point we are at now, one of an advantage over management,” Mawae wrote. “I did not want to see us going into a CBA negotiation with uncertainty of our leadership or doubts as to the agenda and/purposes of those holding office.” Attempts to reach Mawae for comment Tuesday were unsuccessful, but, in a statement on the NFLPA Web site, he said, “Matt Stover’s letter does not reflect the view of the entire executive committee or the board of player representatives. The board is in the process of preparing for the possibility of a work stoppage and understands the importance of having Gene, with his experience and history, lead the direction of the NFLPA.”
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