NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith did not hold back in calling out the NFL in an interview last week, calling the league “the largest group of bullies in the labor market.”
Smith, who was elected to the position in 2009, defended himself against the notion that he is generally “adversarial” in his dealings with the league, which he says lacks virtually any “oversight.”
NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith addresses the media on February 9, 2022 at the NFL Network’s Champions Field at the NFL Media Building on the SoFi Stadium campus in Inglewood, California.
(Rob Carr/Getty Images)
“The league has probably been the largest group of bullies in the labor market in the history of labor in America. I mean, we have a great business and it’s a multi-billion dollar business,” he said in an appearance on “The Pivot” podcast.
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“We’ve had people declare war on labor forever, but I don’t know of another business in America that has antitrust exemptions, they answer to no one, there’s no 10-Ks, there’s no 10-Qs, there’s no board of directors, there’s no transparency, there’s no oversight. The only people who can ever stand up to the National Football League [are the players].”
Smith went on to say while other unionized jobs can risk going on strike to “leverage” their positions, players with careers that can average around three years are limited in that way.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on the field prior to the game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on September 15, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri.
(David Eulitt/Getty Images)
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But he argued there are some things players can do to stand up against the league.
“Stop giving away things for free. When you put your jersey or something else on your Instagram post, I think that’s great. You look good, it’s fantastic. But you know who loves it more than you? The NFL and the team.”
He continued, “They’re getting full promotion about how much you love the game and how much you love them without them paying you a cent.”
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell walks the sidelines prior to the game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers at CenturyLink Field on September 4, 2014 in Seattle, Washington.
(Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
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Smith noted that the burden does fall partially on the players in exercising that right.
“We have multiple levels of leverage, it just comes down to an issue of will.”
Smith was reelected to his fifth term in 2021. According to the NFL Network, a successor is expected to be named no later than 2025.
