HEADLINES

DeMaurice Smith

Extra Points: Hardy, Randle, Jordan

April 29th, 2015 at 10:19pm CST by Zachary Links

NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith firmly believes there is precedent for getting Greg Hardy‘s suspension reduced, Charean Williams of the Star Telegram writes. “In the last three years, we’ve had the league overturned three times in [the Saints’] Bounty, [Adrian] Peterson and Ray Rice,” Smith said as he gears up to defend the Cowboys star. “To me, it’s never a question about whether I’m confident or not. We start with the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and if they continue to seek to impose penalties that are inconsistent with that agreement or inconsistent of the law of the case that has been developed under that agreement, this is what unions do. We fight that.” More from around the NFL..

  • Cowboys running back Joseph Randle won’t face domestic violence charges for his incident in Wichita, according to Drew Davidson of the Star Telegram tweets. There was a “lack of evidence” cited by the DA’s office in the case. More from around the NFL..
  • Dolphins defensive end Dion Jordan issued a statement through the NFLPA regarding his suspension. “I’m very disappointed that I will not be playing in the NFL in the 2015 season,” the statement read. “Because of past positive tests and my status in the drug program, the consequence of dilute (not positive) tests is severe. I deeply regret putting myself in this position, and I apologize to my teammates and the Dolphins organization. I will use the time away from playing to finish my college degree. I will stay in excellent physical shape and look forward to returning to the NFL as soon as possible. I’m deeply grateful to my family and friends for their continued support.”
  • Before the Seahawks traded for tight end Jimmy Graham, they had trade discussions with the Bears about Martellus Bennett, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • Alex Boone, who held out last offseason for a new contract, will skip all of the 49ers‘ voluntary activities in the final year of his contract, a source close to the guard tells Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Boone, who will earn $3.4MM in 2015, has not taken part in the 49ers’ offseason program, and he was not on the field Tuesday and Wednesday for the start of the team’s voluntary three-day minicamp at the team’s practice facility.
  • The Titans have gotten calls from multiple teams inquiring about what it will take to deal for the No. 2 overall pick, league sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • Meanwhile, one team executive tells Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) that the Titans have been asking for three first round picks to part with the No. 2 choice. The executive laughed hard when passing that info along, he adds.

NFLPA Re-Elects DeMaurice Smith

March 16th, 2015 at 7:50am CST by Luke Adams

Despite a crowded field that featured eight challengers, reigning executive director DeMaurice Smith was re-elected by the NFL Players Association last night in Hawaii by the league’s team player reps, per Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (via Twitter). The decision ensures that Smith gets another three-year term heading the NFLPA.

Outside of Smith, Jim Acho, Sean Gilbert, Robert Griffith, Rob London, Art McAfee, John Stufflebeam, Andrew Smith and Jason Belser were also vying for the union’s executive director position. Belser, who has worked under Smith as part of the NFLPA in recent years, was viewed as perhaps the strongest challenger.

Nonetheless, one executive committee member, veteran safety Ryan Clark, tells Peter King of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link) that the vote to re-elect Smith was unanimous on the first ballot. Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link) pushes back on that report, suggesting that the first vote wasn’t unanimous, with the player reps re-voting to exhibit solidarity. Albert Breer of the NFL Network tweets that Smith at least got the majority he needed for re-election during the first round of voting, so it wasn’t a contentious process.

The current Collective Bargaining Agreement is widely considered to be more owner-friendly than player-friendly, which made Smith vulnerable to challengers. However, with nine candidates in the running for the position, the field may have been slightly diluted, pushing players to align themselves with the candidate they knew best, rather than rallying around another contender.

Smith’s candidacy may also have received a bit of a boost in the wake of some of the lucrative free agent contracts signed by players within the last several days.

Latest On Ray Rice Case

October 23rd, 2014 at 7:55pm CST by Zachary Links

Yesterday, a judge ruled that commissioner Roger Goodell will be forced to testify at the Ray Rice hearing. The decision was not unexpected, but also not a given, and it should make things very interesting. Now, it sounds like the heat will really be turned up on the commissioner based on what we’re hearing tonight. The latest on the Ray Rice appeal..

  • In addition to commissioner Goodell, Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome and team president Dick Cass will also be required to testify at the Rice hearing, tweets Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
  • NFL nemeses Jeffrey Kessler and Peter Ginsberg will be questioning Goodell at the hearing, Florio writes. Ginsberg, who was retained directly by Rice, has handled several cases in recent years against the NFL, including the StarCaps case involing Pat Williams and Kevin Williams.
  • Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti and director of team security Darren Sanders won’t be among those called to testify by the judge in the case, tweets Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun.
  • Ultimately, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith could decide to get in on the fun and question Goodell, Florio hears from a source. Smith, a practicing lawyer before becoming the NFLPA boss, routinely adds his own name to the roster of lawyers handling a given case which allows him the option to directly participate as an advocate.

Drew Brees Could Run For NFLPA Prez

February 6th, 2014 at 7:25pm CST by Zachary Links

Saints quarterback Drew Brees could run for president of the Players’ Association when the role will be up for a vote in March, writes USA Today’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). Current player president Domonique Foxworth retired in 2012 and rules prohibit him from serving on the board since he didn’t play this past season.

“I’ve given it thought,” Brees said of becoming union president. “There’s a lot of guys that I feel like would be great presidents. I think that it requires a lot of time. And regardless of whether I ever choose to do that or not, I’ll always be involved.”

The Saints’ signal caller, who has sat on the executive committee for six years, is considered a shoe-in for the presidency if he chooses to run. However, Brees has turned down nominations twice before, two people with knowledge of the process told Pelissero. Meanwhile, Brees says that the state of the union is strong despite the fact that some are said to be unhappy with executive director DeMaurice Smith over the last CBA. Multiple executive committee members say that confidence is high in Smith, but he has detractors among agents, player reps, and the rank and file

Executive committee members Charlie Batch, Brian Dawkins, Scott Fujita, Matt Light, Brandon Moore, and Jeff Saturday will also need to be replaced in March. An eighth member, Cowboys guard Brian Waters, may choose to give up his spot if he retires, which would leave just three holdovers in Brees, Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, and Saints tight end Ben Watson.