NEWS, NOTES AND QUOTES FROM WEEK SEVEN OF
INSIDE THE NFL ON SHOWTIME®
NFL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
DeMAURICE SMITH JOINS CAST FOR Q & A
NEW YORK (Oct. 21, 2009)—NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith joins the cast of INSIDE THE NFL for sit down interviews on this week’s episode – Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME. Smith discusses details of the NFLPA negotiations with the league during an interview with host James Brown and Insider Michael Lombardi. Plus, analysts Cris Collinsworth, Phil Simms and Warren Sapp discuss with Smith guaranteed contracts, veteran players’ assistance, an 18-game schedule and more.
INSIDE THE NFL reporter Jenn Brown delivers a special feature the NFL’s A Crucial Catch campaign during Breast Cancer Awareness month.
Host James Brown anchors INSIDE THE NFL on SHOWTIME with All-Pro NFL greats Cris Collinsworth, Phil Simms and Warren Sapp serving as expert analysts. INSIDE THE NFL is being produced by CBS Sports and NFL Films with new episodes airing on SHOWTIME every Wednesday during the NFL season through February 10, 2010. Pete Radovich serves as coordinating producer. The executive producers are Sean McManus, President, CBS News and Sports, and NFL Films President Steve Sabol.
Below are excerpts transcribed from this week’s episode
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Excerpts from DeMaurice Smith interview with James Brown and Michael Lombardi
What issues is it that the owners are standing on that causes them to want to opt out of the existing agreement.
DeMaurice Smith: JB, when you find out the answer to that question, please tell me…
They characterize it as ‘we, the owners are accepting too much of the risk with the players getting too much of the revenue, there needs to be a fair distribution.’
Smith: I heard public comments but I am going to wait on a proposal from the National Football League that if there is something wrong with this current deal let’s put it in a proposal, let’s lay it on the table, let’s talk about it. It is a tremendous game, it is also a tremendous business. But when it comes to the issues of risk, ask Brian Urlacher whether he understands risk.
Are we going to have football in 2011?
Smith: I can tell you from the people I work for, the executive committee, the board of representatives of the players, they have made it absolutely clear to me, they want to play football. But we control only one side of this dance and we didn’t opt out of the contract.
Lombadri: How do you deal with the fact that (picked) 1-16 make more than rookies (picked) 17-252 in the draft? There is an imbalance of money being spread, I know being in the league, that the owners would like to see it redistributed to the veteran players in the league?
Smith: If the players in the National Football League are confronted with an option where they say look, ‘let’s take the money from this rookies wages scale and somehow redistribute it to vets or let’s think of a way to spend more money on our vets or let’s think of way to spend more of our salary cap room or have teams spend their full salary cap allotment on rookies.’ You know what, that is something I would love to talk about. But, have you heard that as any part of the rookie wage scale debate? The answer is no.
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Excerpts from DeMaurice Smith interview with Collinsworth, Simms and Sapp
On players’ reactions to proposed 18-game schedule:
Smith: It’s easy when you stand up in front of them and say, ‘Apparently there is a movement among the owners for us to consider an 18-game schedule.’ You can imagine what that sound is like in that room. A groan because players sit back and they say, ‘Look, I can barely make it through the current schedule right now. What we try to do as the head of the union and as players is ok. But, I believe we have an obligation to consider everything. I don’t believe you should just shut the door on anything. So the things that we are interested in from the National Football League, what is the injury data per position over the course of the season? What is the aggregate medical data the NFL has collected over the last 20 years as it relates to players injuries so we can make decisions like, should the roster size be increased. Should we make determinations on changing OTA’s or changes in training camp.
Sapp: In leading 18,000 plus players without guaranteed contracts, Gene (Upshaw) had a guaranteed contract, and that was always my issue. How could the leader of a group of guys, 18,000 plus, that don’t have guaranteed contracts, have a guaranteed contract with their leader?
Smith: I think it is up to the players to make a decision on how they pay their executive director and what they are going to do. I was elected by 32 players. I am governed by 11 guys on an executive committee that made a decision. So the way that I look at the issues among a player issue is, the days of this union being one where it is one guy making decisions, it’s over. I push my guys incredibly hard. Why? It’s not my union. It’s your union. So you make decisions as a player and business in the business of football. And that is the decision that they have made.
Will we ever see guaranteed contracts in the NFL?
Smith: I think that is something that every player in the NFL wants. And look, now that we are forced to come to the negotiating table to talk about things, well guess what, we will talk about everything. If you are going to force me to the table we’ll talk about everything. So this issue of revenue sharing, that I think has made the league great over the years, hey look, revenue sharing is in the collective bargaining agreement. It’s in it. It seems to me that all of the issues that players are interested in, discipline, fines, a neutral arbitrator, a better discipline system. Look, I am now being forced to come to the negotiating table. Now that we are here, let’s talk about everything.
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(On Jim Zorn):
Collinsworth: How about Jim Zorn? Seriously now we need to start a movement to get him fired. And I do that in a loving way. Because at some point you can’t have Sherm Lewis in the press box sending the plays down to Jim Zorn who then has to call them. (to Phil Simms) It would be like Joe Theismann, and we love Joe Theismann, standing behind you in a broadcast telling you what to say and you have to say it word for word. There are some things in this world that just aren’t right. That ain’t right.
Brown: it’s a shame to have him emasculated like this publicly. It doesn’t make sense at all.
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