A former athlete oversaw the NFL Players Association for many years. That might be taking place once more.
Matt Schaub recently expressed his desire to succeed DeMaurice Smith as the NFLPA executive director to Daniel Kaplan of TheAthletic.com.
Schaub said to Kaplan, "I've spoken to a lot of guys and sent out, whether it's letters or videos to them, especially on different areas of the CBA." Because every player, regardless of where they are in their careers, has a particular set of priorities that they focus on, "[this] allows them to develop some concept of how they feel about it, which way they stand and lean, and how significant, what's their priority."
According to Schaub, "what we've done with the last two CBAs is unprecedented, with the term of the deals being almost quadruple the usual career length of most players." "Based on what has changed hands and crossed the table these last two, it's been too long."
To help hire Smith's replacement, the union has retained the services of an executive search agency. Two-time Pro Bowler and 13-year veteran Schaub claimed that other players involved in union leadership would not "connect" with him while the search is ongoing.
As a result, Schaub told Kaplan, "it's odd to have that type of silent treatment, so to speak, when there may be a potential internal candidate who has unrestricted access to the players and access to them in general."
It would appear that the procedure must be transparent. Ultimately, it's up to the players to choose who they wish to hire. Finding the right candidate for the job should be the primary objective instead of hand-picking someone by those with authority to do so.
We'll watch how the process unfolds in the upcoming months. Whatever happens, it's in the best interests of all parties involved for the search to be as thorough, inclusive, and wide-ranging as it can be, to select a leader with a distinct vision for the union's future and a solid strategy for putting it into action.
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