[VIDEO] The NFL owners and players have fought to complete a settlement and get football back on schedule. While each side of the negotiation faced their own particular challenges, the players had to keep approximately 1900 members organized and motivated to stand as One Team.
NFLPA leadership, headed by Executive Director DeMaurice Smith and President Kevin Mawae, received praise from members of the players association for creating an environment of solidarity. This year’s labor dispute has significant differences from the past because this time the players were locked out by the owners instead of taking it upon themselves to strike.
Colts linebacker Gary Brackett thought “The strength of the NFLPA leadership, DeMaurice Smith, Kevin Mawae our president, all the guys on the executive committee and all of the guys that really had a part of this deal I think did a tremendous job of having guys stick together. That’s one of the things that the owners weren’t really ready for, was for players to stick together having one voice, to all respond together.”
This leadership manifested itself in other ways too, from securing the support of an undrafted rookie, Von Miller, as a named plaintiff on the Brady vs. NFL case to planning ahead and creating a fund that would protect the players in the event games were missed in 2011. This leadership hasn’t gone unnoticed by former players either who have sung the praises of the NFLPA leadership.
Tony Bouie, former safety for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, commented that “Former players going forward are really going to look at current players differently because of the leadership the exec committee has given as well as the other 32 representatives in leading in this discussion about what the foundation has been laid by the guys that have come before them and once we see the details I think it wijll be really clear that they did what they said they were going to do.”
Of course the mark of the best leaders is earning the respect of the competition and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell commented “I have great respect for this guy” about Smith which is a message that portends the success of NFL football.
