CBA Discussed with NFLPA Director

Last week, the Chicago Bears were treated to a visit from DeMaurice Smith, the executive director of the NFL Players Association. He held separate meetings with the Bears coaches, players and front office personnel. The subject on everyone’s mind is the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which is about to expire and will lead to an uncapped season in 2010 unless a deal is met. 28 NFL teams opted out of the CBA, and Smith is planning to travel around the country to understand why teams opted out.

He said, “I have the luxury of being the new guy. No one’s told me why they opted out. I read everything that you [media] guys read and have read everything that was said at the time. But other than what I’ve read, there have been no specifics. I don’t know if there has been any specifics about why they opted out, what factors led them to opt out, what financial conditions necessitated the decision, what analysis they employed in order to reach a conclusion that the deal wasn’t good for them.”

The former trial lawyer is used to having to prove his point, which may be the reason the NFLPA selected him to replace the late Gene Upshaw. See the Bears next season with Chicago Bears tickets from StubHub.

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