Kenny Britt (notes) Tennessee Titans' receiver problems talented and broad subject, was summoned to the office of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, presumably to answer questions about several incidents during the offseason.
When he returned to Nashville Britt on Wednesday played down the incident harmonics of the previous day's meeting to the press, saying: "I have a smile on my face, I can breathe again. So all is well."
It's great that Britt may shed light on his situation, but I know many players who think a possible suspension, he faces a conduct that occurred during the lockout is something to take lightly, and I can not blame them for being angry. And if it plays the way I fear it, they have the right to direct some very difficult questions in the direction of the Association of NFL players DeMaurice Smith Executive Director, who should have prevented this travesty of abuse authoritarian.
Although it is difficult to defend some of the actions of Britt - was arrested for disorderly conduct after an incident at a car wash and was arrested after trying to elude the police try to block the traffic between the other crimes alleged - the idea that he could be disciplined on breaking the union's political behavior is ridiculous. Since the blockade began on March 11, until it was completed at the end of last month, Britt, like others involved in a messy office during that period, was the "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," history teacher Mr. Hand . would call my time.
Players are not allowed in the team's facility, and were without health insurance, access to doctors of the football team or to protect against injuries that can affect a future job fortune. List of bonds are not paid, and other contract terms were ignored by employers. There was no collective agreement with the NFLPA have decertified, no union to represent their interests.
All in all, they are not employees.
Insist that were nevertheless subject to prior approval from ABC's personal conduct policy defies logic.
[Top Sports Radio: Things are rushed to the work process]
No wonder Goodell is willing to ignore the absurdity of this position. I understand why the sheriff wants to "protect the shield" and ensure that players whose actions impact is felt tarnished the league contract with the brand hard. However, when informed that Smith doubts the final stage of negotiations by playing the CBA, the union leader's response should have been: "I'm sure you do not want to punish good and the owners should have considered that before he locked .. "
I do not know for a fact that Smith did not object, but if he did, he should have fought hard. The fact that Goodell called Britt and Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Aqib Talib (notes) to his office is a sign that the union has gone too soft on this issue. It may have been much worse than that: A source familiar with the negotiations claims Goodell before a solution to the question of whether the offenders personal behavior during lock-out can be punished, "names eight wanted from the top, there will surely be punished, apparently, he got his way. "
This was confirmed by a commercial source of high levels of the Union, who said that in exchange for the agreement to avoid the discipline of nearly two dozen players of conduct for blocking Goodell, has retained the right to vote sanctions on eight Players deemed repeat offenders.
George Atallah, NFLPA assistant executive director for external affairs, declined comment.
If the handshake was a lot of this type of cut, and I called hit, I'd immediately make a complaint, the National Labor Relations Board that the NFLPA has been the association of the sector, before being re-approved by the International end of July, he had no power to represent my interests.
And if the union says there are no provisions for the discipline of personal conduct that took place until the new collective agreement was officially ratified, it would still be a lawyer instead, for the first time in an attempt to obtain an injunction preventing the League punished me for something that happened when there was no conduct policy (in the absence of a CBA), and possibly the extension of a lawsuit against the NFLPA for having violated his duty to give me a fair representation.
I do not know what has actually entered into discussions with Goodell Smith, or if the problem was solved, but the association has an obligation to go to the mat on this.
Of course, the point of view of public relations - and most likely, the moral - Smith did not want to fight this battle. I'm sure you do not like a ton of players that constantly break, and there are a lot of players, some of which are NFLPA Executive Committee, which shares this perspective.
Said Smith, a former federal prosecutor, is to be understood that to defend the interests of young people like Britt, Talib, Dolphins receiver Brandon Marshall (notes), the median Bengals Cedric Benson (notes), and, yes, Michael Vick (notes) , and Ben Roethlisberger (Notes) is part of the concert.
Remember when the Golden State Warriors guard Latrell Sprewell choked his coach in practice Dec. 1, 1997? NBA Commissioner David Stern suspended Sprewell for a year and had his contract terminated with $ 23.7 million back. Association NBA players, but certainly not to increase his popularity with the outside world, Sprewell took the case and managed to convince an arbitrator to reduce his suspension from 68 games and restore his contract.
Why? Because Sprewell was a paying member of the Association, and was the association of players' work to fight for their interests.
As an NFL player to work actively Union says: "I think a lot of these guys who get in trouble are the Knuckleheads, and it's hard to have pity on them. But there is no doubt that we have to steal them, especially now, because that's what unions do. "
Again, I was not there when these issues came to the negotiating table, and I appreciate the fact that Smith and his fellow negotiators were under a ton of pressure to close a multi-year, multi-faceted, multi -billion deal in time to save the 2011 season.
Yet it seems to me that during the last days of discussion before the lockout ended, the owners felt even more pressure to close the deal and the players were as follows with the lever.
It 'was the owners who wanted desperately to avoid losing even weeks of preseason, because this is not devalued by the process reported $ 200 million, and has tried to time the opening of training camp. Players who heard the shot missed the preseason with a much milder (in the form of a relatively small reduction in future salary-cap increase in the maxima), was much less stressed about the possibility of postponing the time.
Remember the wild Thursday afternoon in Atlanta, where Goodell and its other owners announced that they had approved a new collective agreement that put an immediate end to the lockout? Smith Sat sizzling in Washington, confused about early communication and insists that none of the "union" issues - gambling behavior, health benefits, drug policy, drug testing and to others - had been negotiated, much less settled.
Over the next three days, Smith and Goodell, with the help of his lieutenants have been working on these issues of hash, or at least reach tentative agreement that satisfies both parties to be locked up. At one time Smith's side, but in retrospect, some players believe they were cast in the vote on the agreement and return to work. (Remember, the Steelers have voted 78-6 against ratification of the new CBA because they have felt they had not received enough information about the business of the NFLPA).
"We had an eight-page PowerPoint presentation [the association] with bullet points of all possible questions and the basic message was you," Do not worry, I'll take care of them, "says active player in European affairs. "Now, after seeing how it went down, it seems that some things could have been woven through."
A representative said a team player: "We were always at the NFL deadline has never been about to receive and digest information in a way that would make us feel good in the case basically ABC is the old, with less money .. and power for the players. "
The first signs of discontent player with the transaction took place when, for at least one team that testing began three days after the players reported for pre-medical training camp. Given that marijuana, in particular, are often in a user's system for 30 days or more, it has been a problem for many players who had been assured by representatives of a grace period of post-lock- would be negotiated out. Unless they like Vincent Chase on "Entourage" or Onterrio Smith back in the day, they were now out of luck.
Once again, because basically this is primarily a case where the union has reached a thing of the past, the players to regulate the behaviors that occurred during the block. According to two players on a team in the AFC, many of their teammates have already received calls from the league that are positive for banned substances recreation.
Another area of discipline that has angered the interests of the fines for players in the field of behavior such as roughness or dangerous strikes unnecessary. A bullet points on PowerPoint presentation before, according to the source with whom I spoke said that the player could receive a fine of more than 25 percent of their weekly wage for that crime.
"Already in the pre-season - when [only] to pay - I had kids who imposed a fine of more than 25 percent [of their weekly wage in season]," said striker in union affairs. "It seems that the current language in the agreement is [something to the effect of] a fine of more than 25 players per cent of the weekly wage of a right of appeal." It's a big difference, and the kids want to know, "What the hell?"
Adding a Pro Bowl player, "It feels like a total bait and switch with the system of fines, promising one thing and certainly does not deliver."
Some players are also upset at Goodell five-game suspension of former Ohio State quarterback Terrell Pryor (notes) as a condition for letting the complementary project earlier this week. After being selected in the third round of the Oakland Raiders, Pryor said he would let the team decide to appeal his suspension. Sources indicate that either Smith or Pryor agent, Drew Rosenhaus, who currently plans to initiate or sustain a complaint, although many practitioners believe that the EU should do to prevent the league to create a precedent.
Whatever happens, this much is clear: the evaluation of Pryor Ohio State players' transgressions, as well as their behavior and drug use during the crash, Goodell plans to punish crimes that do not occur in times of official work - and not get resistance for both the Union of what he would do.
During the lockout, several players have taken heavy blows verbal Goodell, and there was talk that they insist on reducing its authority in the new CBA. But all the signs that both Goodell remains the sole arbiter undisputed off-the-field discipline and to retain jurisdiction over complaints.
The players, this is disturbing on many levels. Instead, draw a clear set of rules and corresponding penalties, Goodell seems arbitrary in its decisions, its recent decision not to kill the New England Patriots defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth (notes) has suggested. When it comes to investigate and punish the non-players, such as former Oakland Raiders coach Tom Cable, it seems very hypocritical. Goodell, and presumably to preserve the ability to ignore players in the correct and punish the crimes for which have not been convicted, which delayed the predecessor of Smith, Gene Upshaw, signed the mandate Goodell.
Goodell is autocracy, apparently, include maintaining charadesdesigned to help trainers bond with their players, and Vick has suggested in a recent interview with GQ, pushing talented free agents to sign with specific teams. I'm sure Bills fans were enthusiastic, according to Vick, Goodell suggested quarterback signs with the Eagles before the 2009 season, instead of Buffalo or Cincinnati.
After a tumultuous offseason, the sheriff is back with his spurs, and the Union does not seem fine for the duel. Worse, with the lever on its side, you can NFLPA leadership panicked and did not have time to forge an agreement, he worked with members of the Sheriff's concern for the unchecked power.
"We took a leap of faith," said the striker in the business NFLPA. "Apparently, we should have been more cautious and more aware."
For this reason, as Britt and Talib had to respond Goodell Tuesday, a lot of players will soon be looking for answers to their union leaders.
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