Upshaw Intends To Stay At NFLPA Through Labor Talks
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Upshaw Says He Intends To Lead NFLPA
Through Upcoming Labor Negotiations |
NFLPA Exec Dir Gene Upshaw yesterday said that he "intends to remain in charge" of the union "through the upcoming labor negotiations" with NFL team owners, according to Mark Maske of the WASHINGTON POST. But Upshaw said that he is "making preparations for retirement," and he added that he "told groups of players on two occasions in recent weeks to be ready to choose his successor after this set of labor negotiations." Upshaw's current contract is set to expire in 2010. Upshaw said that he first introduced the "steps for identifying a successor" to the NFLPA exec committee at the NFLPA's annual meeting last month in Hawaii. Upshaw added that Ravens K and player rep Matt Stover Tuesday in an e-mail calling for Upshaw to be replaced by March '09, merely "reproduced" Upshaw's announced plans to identify the next NFLPA leader. Upshaw: "I was the one who put together the conference call. It was me telling those I guys I was not going anywhere until this (labor negotiation) is done. I told the committee in Hawaii what the process should be." Upshaw added about Stover's e-mail, "Everything you see from Stover is what I told them. What he's done is decided it should happen by next March" (WASHINGTON POST, 4/10). Meanwhile, Stover yesterday sent an e-mail to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, and wrote, "It is not, and has never been, my intention to 'oust' Gene Upshaw." To read Stover's entire letter, visit www.SportsBusinessDaily.com (THE DAILY).
PLAYER REAX: Texans players are "anxious to see what unfolds in the coming months as the NFLPA deals with suggestions'' to replace Upshaw. Texans DE N.D. Kalu said of Stover's original e-mail, "I'm not sitting here defending Gene Upshaw, but when you have Matt Stover, who is not even the president of the NFLPA ... making a decision that we all need to stand behind, it makes us not look like we're a strong front and shows that we're divided. And that doesn't look good when you're negotiating, because whoever the NFLPA negotiates against or with, they are going to know we are divided on certain issues. I think that was irresponsible of Stover to go public with that." Texans K and player rep Kris Brown said of the recent developments, "I don't agree with where this thing is going. I think it could have been handled better" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 4/10).
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