Vrabel And Union Thoughts

Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots had some insightful and incisive comments in Sunday’s Boston Herald in an article by Ron Borges.  

Vrabel has long had a reputation as a player who is intelligent and sees the big picture.  He also seems to be a voice for the NFL Players Association and NFL players in their quest to negotiate and protect their labor rights as we progress towards one of the most important bargaining processes in NFL labor history this spring.  

In August, when the annual ruminating about what to do with the increasingly irrelevant preseason was in full swing, the idea was floated of adding an extra game or two of the regular season, thereby deleting a game or two from the preseason.  While the pundits debated the idea and owners such as Vrabel’s, Robert Kraft, endorsed it as a needed revenue stream, Vrabel was quick to speak up.  He tempered the enthusiasm for the idea with comments about sharing — in a more substantive way than was being mentioned — that extra revenue with the players.    While many certainly thought that sentiment, Vrabel was not shy in articulating it.  

Now Vrabel is commenting on the issue of transparency and full disclosure from the ownership about revenues and profits — or lack thereof.  While various owners have bemoaned the current labor agreement as unworkable due to the costs of doing business in this environment and surging player costs, a couple of actions by the teams have caught Vrabel’s attention and he has made note.     

He sees Patriot Place every day, with its additional revenue streams and asks, “Where’s our share?”  This is straight from his former union boss, the late Gene Upshaw’s playbook.  Gene used to come to Lambeau Field, sit in my office and look out at the restaurants, the Hall of Fame and the stadium tours and wonder if his players were getting their share.  I would say, “Gene, we have to operate the other 350 days of the year!”  But Gene was just staring into the revenue streams.  

As to the Raiders releasing DeAngelo Hall, Vrabel wondered “They can cut a guy (Oakland’s DeAngelo Hall) eight games after they sign him for $70 million?” as the Raiders cavalierly released Hall into the free agent world after paying him “only 8M” of a potential 70M.  He also commented on the Packers’ ill-timed offer for Brett Favre to consider an eight-figure marketing package rather than to continue playing football.  

Vrabel used these examples to wonder about the alleged problems the teams are having in their pursuit of some rollbacks of the current labor deal.  He made a case for some opening of the books, a request that has been repeatedly rebuffed from management.   

Vrabel seems to be an intelligent person who says not only what is on his mind, but probably speaks to what is on the mind of many of his fellow union members and leaders as well, for which I am sure they are grateful……. 

As for the NFLPA, yesterday was not a good day.  A jury in San Francisco awarded a class of retired NFL players an award of 7.1M for a breach of fiduciary duty by the union and another 21M in punitive damages for the actions of the union towards this former group of players.  This is a stunning decision in the eyes of the leaders and attorneys for the NFLPA, one that will be appealed as soon as it is possible to file the documents. 

I am not overly familiar with the evidence from the case and the arguments made on each side, but my sense about this award is one of human nature rather than a specific piece of pieces of damning evidence against the union.  This case was tried in front of a jury, a jury full of human emotion and empathy.  They had to determine who would keep a significant amount of money earned.  Their choices were a union that represented young and healthy millionaires or a group of retired players, some if not many of whom have physical, mental and financial issues relating to their time playing the game.  Not knowing anything about the testimony, I feared for the union in this case.  A jury, I thought, will find it easier to sympathize with the retired group.  My suspicions were confirmed and I am sure the union feels it will find a better venue in the appellate court.  More on this dramatic outcome to follow soon…….