NFLPA to begin search for new leadership in one week's time

In one week the NFLPA will begin the process of replacing their current President, Dominique Foxworth as he will be cycled out of the position. “We’re looking for the next group of player leaders to make the decisions, and we’ll fully trust and support what they do, whichever direction they decide to go,” said NFLPA Executive Committee member Jeff Saturday.

Saturday is one piece of the NFLPA’s leadership to be cycled out of their position next week as well.

Over a conference call, Foxworth, Saturday and George Atallah (the NFLPA’s Assistant Executive Director of External Affairs) fielded questions on various topics from reporters Monday.

Regarding the potential for the NFL to implement an 18 game schedule in the future, the NFLPA said they are, and always have been against it.

“You can’t be trying to make the game safer and add games [to the schedule],” said Foxworth. “You’re talking out of both sides of your mouth if you’re doing that.”

“Just to be clear…that was never something that we even considered in the CBA,” Saturday said. “That was a deal stopper and breaker for us,” Saturday added regarding the CBA negotiations with the NFL following the 2011 lockout.

Another main topic of discussion revolved around the N-word and the NFL’s recently proposed 15-yard penalty every time that infamous word is heard on the field by officials.

“This is one of those questions where obviously we as a union want the best possible professional work environment for the employees,” Atallah said.

“The language used in the field and locker room falls in the realm of working conditions,” Foxworth said. “In the future, any type of change to the working conditions is something that needs to be collectively bargained and discussed.”

Foxworth is referencing the NFL’s lack of inclusion with the NFLPA before they went public with the potential rule change.

The NFLPA’s annual union meetings begin a week from today with the biggest item on the agenda being the change in the leadership.

“At the end of the day its former players, present players and its future players who we are all about,” Saturday said. “We need our men to step up and I look forward to seeing whose going to do it next week.”

Other than the change in leadership, the union meeting will be strictly ‘union business.’