Effort to oust Upshaw led by.....

[Cyros]

Quote: Originally Posted by wwharton

Nah, it was Vanderjagt (know i spelled that wrong?). I can't remember exactly what he said but it was pretty stupid. A reporter asked Manning about it and Manning basically said he thinks kickers should speak when spoken to. Next year he was cut, couldn't make it with the Boys and has been out of the league ever since.

I do think there was a Madden commercial where Ray Lewis spoke that line.

[SPTO]

Quote: Originally Posted by zitomulder

Most of their money is the key word. You think Kevin Garnett or Derek Jeter would trade there contract for Peyton Mannings contract? Not in a million years.

True, but it's not like NFL'ers are paupers either.

[jmood88]

Quote: Originally Posted by SPTO

True, but it's not like NFL'ers are paupers either.

They play the most dangerous and most popular sport in the US yet they're making the least money, there's something wrong with that.

[wwharton]

There's not really anything wrong with that. It's the never ending discussion about these people being forced into the profession. They choose to play football. When you're talking about athletes on this level, a lot of them actually could've chosen other sports to be involved with. They make A LOT of money to do what they do.

If that's not enough, there are 12 players on each NBA team. I think they can carry up to 15 if you count the injured spots. Baseball teams probably carry around half the players of a football team. It's apples and oranges to compare different professions anyway (just b/c they're all sports doesn't mean they're the same) but just talking about the number of players involved and it'd be impossible for the numbers to match up.

[jmood88]

Quote: Originally Posted by wwharton

There's not really anything wrong with that. It's the never ending discussion about these people being forced into the profession. They choose to play football. When you're talking about athletes on this level, a lot of them actually could've chosen other sports to be involved with. They make A LOT of money to do what they do. If that's not enough, there are 12 players on each NBA team. I think they can carry up to 15 if you count the injured spots. Baseball teams probably carry around half the players of a football team. It's apples and oranges to compare different professions anyway (just b/c they're all sports doesn't mean they're the same) but just talking about the number of players involved and it'd be impossible for the numbers to match up.

If the NFL wasn't as popular then I would agree with you but there's no reason for players to not be making more money than they should.

[SPTO]

As wwharton said these guys chose to go into football. It's not like they're being forced to play what they know is a physically demanding sport. If you're going to make the argument that players should have a higher base salary based on what could happen then Lord knows NHL players should be making just as much money as NFL guys because in some ways hockey can be a lot more dangerous.

[jmood88]

Quote: Originally Posted by SPTO

As wwharton said these guys chose to go into football. It's not like they're being forced to play what they know is a physically demanding sport. If you're going to make the argument that players should have a higher base salary based on what could happen then Lord knows NHL players should be making just as much money as NFL guys because in some ways hockey can be a lot more dangerous.

And Hockey is nowhere near as popular as the NFL in America. The danger wasn't my main point anyway, the NFL makes more than enough money to increase salaries or at least protect them by making more than the signing bonus guaranteed.

[ProfessaPackMan]

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Quote:

UPSHAW FEARED THAT VINCENT WOULD UNDERMINE HIM? Posted by Mike Florio on April 11, 2008, 6:19 p.m. When it comes to the NFLPA brouhaha regarding the status of Executive Director Gene Upshaw, we’re reading between the lines more than we usually do. We’re doing that because: (1) Upshaw’s heart-on-his-sleeve style make it easier to accurately do so; and (2) it’s obvious that there has been, and surely still is, plenty of stuff going on behind the scenes on this one. The latest report on the subject from Chris Mortensen of ESPN speaks directly to speculation that Monday’s announcement that Clark Gaines will be the Assistant Executive Director sparked the Matt Stover e-mail regarding the importance of finding Upshaw’s replacement. Upshaw promoted Gaines to No. 2 not long after declaring that there would be no No. 2, presumably in reference to Troy Vincent’s apparent desire to obtain the No. 2 job and, in time, the No. 1 position. But Upshaw now says that the Assistant Executive Director position isn’t really the No. 2 job. Upshaw told Mortensen that anyone “who has carried the title of assistant executive director will tell you they never felt like they were the successor-in-waiting or a true No. 2. Under our constitution I have full authority to hire anybody I want in our building. And with what we’re facing on the labor front, we don’t need to send a signal to owners that they can get a backdoor deal with a No. 2 guy.” So, reading between the lines, Upshaw is saying that he didn’t want Vincent to be the Assistant Executive Director because Vincent would have regarded himself as the No. 2 and thus Vincent and the NFL might have come together behind Upshaw’s back to work out a Collective Bargaining Agreement via a process that would have rendered Upshaw irrelevant. Though that’s not what Upshaw said, it’s essentially what he is saying. Regardless of Upshaw’s concerns, the process of finding his successor needs to commence, so that the person not only can be accurately identified but also properly groomed. As one league source told us today, Troy Vincent is no more prepared to be the Executive Director of the NFLPA than my 11-year-old son. The problem is that Upshaw won’t be willing to groom anyone whom he perceives to be a threat. And so if Upshaw can manage to keep the job until after the next CBA is negotiated, then the only persons who’ll have the knowledge and experience to take over will be persons who have gained their knowledge and experience while working with Upshaw. Like Clark Gaines, the Assistant Executive Director, who really isn’t No. 2. Even though he obviously is.