Bertrand: No Sympathy For Players After Re-Electing NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith
BOSTON (CBS) - Former 11-year NFL veteran Mike Flynn, filling in for the vacationing Scott Zolak, joined Marc Bertrand on 98.5 The Sports Hub Monday morning to talk about the re-election of NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith.
Smith was re-elected Sunday to his third-consecutive three-year deal by 31 player representatives (Buffalo had no rep) from teams, despite serving the same position in the last collective bargaining agreement in which the owners were favored in the logistics of the deal, to put it kindly.
Smith was challenged for the position primarily by former NFL players Jason Belser, Sean Gilbert and Robert Griffith -- all of whom didn't receive a single vote.
"It's not like every player has a vote. It goes to the player rep, so a lot of guys on the team are really disengaged from the process. I guarantee half of that league doesn't even know what happened or that he got voted in," said Flynn, former offensive lineman and Super Bowl champion for the Baltimore Ravens.
"I'm just done having sympathy for players on this stuff. You got beat on your last deal with this guy leading the way," said Bertrand.
Smith has been the union's executive director since 2009. In that time, he's dealt with a four-month lockout in 2011, a 10-year collective bargaining agreement and a handful of high-profile player suspensions. Several opposing candidates criticized Smith's leadership, citing the 2011 labor agreement that favors owners, not the players he represents.
"If you don't like the way things are done, if you want more guaranteed [contracts], if you think the system is unfair, what are you doing electing this guy unanimously again as your representation?" asked Bertrand.
Listen below for the full conversation:
