NASSAU, The Bahamas – Most people enjoying the amenities at the Atlantis this week are on vacation. Most of those attending the NFL Players Association’s annual meeting here know where they’re going to be working when they return home.
And then there are those like Eric Winston, Maideu Williams and Chase Blackburn who are going diligently about the business of serving as player representatives while not knowing whether, or for whom, they’ll be wearing a uniform come fall. “It’s nerve-wracking to a certain extent because of the uncertainty,” said Winston, a 29-year-old offensive tackle who played last season on a one-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs after six years with the Houston Texans. “But I’d probably be more worried if we were in Hawaii [the usual meetings locale]. There are plenty of flights from here to Miami and from there you can get anywhere if needed. Hopefully, a good opportunity will present itself.”
Blackburn, a 29-year-old linebacker who has played his entire career with the New York Giants, agreed, saying that he would jump on a plane if a seriously interested suitor asked for an immediate visit. “I’m checking my email and I’m trying to keep up with my agent to hear about which teams are calling, but my cell phone doesn’t work here, which is a challenge,” said Blackburn, who turned down a minimum contract offer from New York. “I didn’t know the meetings were going to be this week when I volunteered to be a rep, but it wouldn’t have mattered. If a team wants you, they want you. I can fly from here as easily as I can fly from [my home in] Ohio. The knowledge we’re getting here is I can help distribute to our players even if I’m not back with the Giants.”
Williams, a 31-year-old safety who played for three teams during the past three seasons, isn’t in a hurry to find his next one. “All of that will take care of itself,” said Williams, who started on a one-year contract for the Washington Redskins in 2012. “There are a lot of us here who are unsigned. I’m focused on what we’re doing here. I’m especially enjoying the breakout sessions where we’re able to voice our opinions in small groups about concussions, the Lifecycle 360 program that’s being implemented for retired players, and the drug testing for substances like HGH. We had a lot of dialogue about those topics.”
Winston isn’t used to much dialogue about free agency since he visited Miami and Kansas City within the first two days of the signing period last March before choosing the Chiefs after being a cap casualty in Houston. But he knew he might be in his current situation after Kansas City fired general manager Scott Pioli and coach Romeo Crennel. “I’m definitely checking Twitter and my phone a lot more than I normally would be, but it’s better being here than twiddling my thumbs at home,” Winston said. “We’re talking about issues that I really care about. I enjoy coming to the meetings and bringing my family. I’m not with Kansas City, but I’m still looking at the issues from a Chiefs standpoint. I texted the guys today about their performance bonuses.”
Blackburn and Williams are both first-year reps, but Winston is a veteran. Not that it helped in dealing with the tragedy of teammate Jovan Belcher, who murdered his girlfriend before killing himself on Dec.1. “It was very hard,” Winston said. “You feel like you could have done more. You could have been looking for something or tried to do something. I had plenty of conversations with Jovan during the year. You just assume that everything’s fine. I learned to make sure that you’re really listening and to never assume that everything’s fine. It didn’t make me want to stop being a rep. It made me want to be a rep even more so I can help guys.”
All three of the unsigned reps would welcome election to the NFLPA’s Executive Committee next March, but while Winston and Blackburn aren’t looking very far down the road, Williams, who has his MBA, envisions an entrepreneurial and philanthropic future. In fact, he has a self-named foundation that focuses on children’s health and nutrition in his two native lands, Sierra Leone and Prince George’s County, Maryland.“I love the game and I enjoy competing,” Williams said. “Yes you would like to be signed and know where you’re going, but I look at free agency as a great opportunity to explore and figure out the best fit for me. I want to keep playing, but if this it, I’ve had a long ride.”
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