NFL Players Association CEO DeMaurice Smith didn’t hold back when calling out the NFL in an interview last week, calling the league «the biggest group of bullies in the job market.»
Smith, who was elected to the post in 2009, defended himself against the notion that he is generally «contradictory» in his dealings with the league, which it says lacks virtually any «oversight».
NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith addresses the media on February 9, 2022 at NFL Network’s Champions Field in 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 labor market bullies in the history of labor in America. I mean, we have a great business and it’s a multibillion-dollar business,» he said in an appearance on «The Pivot» podcast.
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«We’ve had people go to war on labor forever, but I don’t know of any other business in America that has antitrust exemptions, they don’t answer to anyone, there’s no 10-K, there’s no 10-Q, there’s no board of directors, no transparency, no oversight The only people who can stand up to the National Football League [are the players].»
Smith continued to say while other unionized jobs they 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 before 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 that there are some things players can do to take on the league.
«Stop giving things away. When you put your jersey or something else on your Instagram post, I think it’s cool. 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 a whole promotion about how much you love the game and how much you love them without getting paid a dime.»
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell walks on the sidelines before 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 falls partially on the players in exercising that right.
«We have multiple levels of leverage, it all comes down to a matter of will.»
Smith was re-elected to his fifth term in 2021. According to NFL Network, a successor is expected to be named no later than 2025.