Late Sunday night NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith was re-elected to another term to lead the association. They like to be known as a union, but it’s an insult to use the term in the company of real union employees.
Smith was considered a bright star who was going to take the players in a better direction. While he was willing to hold out and cause labor unrest that saw the owners lock the players out, the results are nowhere near where these players need to be. Yes, they pressed the issue on Ray Rice and his suspension, but it did not take the late Thurgood Marshall to at least get it heard by an arbitrator.
While the players held out so they can have less practice time during training camp and the off-season, the bigger issue is more job security. Too many times player get fired for no apparent reason other than an owner trying to save money in how they deal with the salary cap. You hear about the guaranteed money now, but players are still getting cut at an alarming rate and, if they are lucky to land elsewhere, most of the time it’s at reduced money and length of the contract.
If there was ever a sport that needs more contractual certainty, it should be the NFL. Consider they have the shortest shelf life of any team-sport athlete in the country and their health risks have proven to be greater than any in other sport during and certainly after their careers, and yet they have little to show when their careers come to a sudden halt.
If the players want to go to war about something, it should not be over practices and other trivial matters. Longevity and security financially should be at the top of the list. Of the so-called four major team sports in this country, only the NFL does not guarantee contracts for the life of them. No wonder the NFL made billions last year. The players’ labor is too cheap not to get rich.
Adios, NFL
Chris Boland, who recently was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers, has decided to retire after one season in the NFL. It was not because of a lack of skill, as he was one of the leading tacklers on his team. The head trauma he endured created enough of a concern that he thought it was in the best interest of his future that he should find something else to do with his life.
Granted, he may not make as much money, but there is a good chance that there will never be a fundraiser in his honor to cover his medical bills because he took one blow too many to the head. Good for Boland.
Hopefully, parents will consider whether football as we know it is the best thing for their son’s future. Then again, the dollar signs can at times blind them.
Not good with Goodell
In case you have not heard, Jamesis Winston, who is projected to be the first player drafted in the NFL draft in April, has indicated he may take a pass on attending the draft in Chicago. Winston’s father said recently that “nothing is etched in stone at this point on if he will attend.”
For a football player, this is like not attending your high school or college graduation if you were the valedictorian or graduating with honors. I guess Winston has spent enough time with the commissioner recently about his off-field issues at Florida State to the point there is no need to shake hands and take pictures with Roger Goodell.
Not sure if I blame him, considering the company he would be in.
Iron it out
With so much bad high school basketball being played lately around town, I am amazed that some school has not made Tony Irons a better offer to head up a program. As I look at Erwin Claggett and the masterful job that he has done in getting Saint Louis University High School into the Final Four, Tony Irons is of similar fabric.
Irons again found himself deep in the tournament, and yet there is talk of his school closing. Irons can coach with anyone in town on the boys’ side and, given ample talent, he could have a run similar to his father, Floyd Irons. While I appreciate him earning his stripes in the coaching ranks, it’s time to move on to another program in St. Louis if not into the legit college ranks.
Iron it out, young man, and hopefully some alum can make a sweet deal for him like we have seen at other schools that were not a contender until they found new blood. Now it’s time for Tony Irons to have his shot.
All bad at same time
Ready or not, here comes the NCAA Tournament and for some reason, it does not have the same pizzazz that we have seen before.
Make no mistake, the journey that Kentucky is on while they are trying to go undefeated is worth paying attention to, but what are the other stories that are worth following? Wisconsin, Arizona and others are certainly worth watching, but there seems to be little flare unless you hear it from the rights holders at CBS and TBS, as they have a great deal at stake financially. Other than that, the needle does not move much for me.
Maybe it’s the fact that no schools in the states of Missouri or Illinois are in the tournament. How could this happen where everyone is bad at the same time? Once in a blue moon? Let’s hope that moon does not rise again in the near future.
While I will have a vested interest in the tournament for bracket reasons, I will not be locked on as if Mizzou, Saint Louis University or the likes were in it. It’s not like they were going to win the tournament, but it’s nice to have them for at least one round.
