Divisive selection process for NFLPA chief nears end
March 13
Charlotte Observer
"For the first time in more than a quarter-century, the NFL Players Association is about to elect a new leader.
Player representatives from all 32 teams, including the Carolina Panthers' Jason Kyle, are meeting in Maui this weekend to choose a successor for Gene Upshaw, who died Aug.20.
The four finalists are former NFLPA player presidents Trace Armstrong and Troy Vincent, and attorneys David Cornwell and DeMaurice Smith.
The lead-up to the election, which is scheduled for Sunday, has been packed with controversy, contention and politics.
Whoever is chosen will assume the job immediately and face an array of challenges:
The collective bargaining agreement is scheduled to expire after the 2010 season, and owners are said to be positioning themselves for a lockout of players before the 2011 season unless they can get concessions to, among other things, lower the percentage of revenues that fund player salaries.
The new executive director will have to negotiate with league Commissioner Roger Goodell and team owners, while maintaining the trust of players."
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