1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:03,920 Speaker 1: It's the Richard Sherman Podcast presented by FanDuel. It's NFL 2 00:00:03,960 --> 00:00:06,280 Speaker 1: playoff time and there's no better place to get in 3 00:00:06,320 --> 00:00:09,280 Speaker 1: on the action than FanDuel. The app is safe, secure 4 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:12,960 Speaker 1: and easy to use. FanDuel has exclusive offers, boost and 5 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:16,280 Speaker 1: more all month long. When you win, you'll get paid 6 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:18,919 Speaker 1: fast jump into the action at any time near the 7 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:22,760 Speaker 1: game with live betting, and FanDuel is now live in Ohio. 8 00:00:23,040 --> 00:00:26,200 Speaker 1: So use promo code RS and download the FanDuel app 9 00:00:26,239 --> 00:00:29,280 Speaker 1: today to start making every moment more waning s like 10 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:31,520 Speaker 1: States first nine Really anyway your only TANDL FIRSTPOSI required. 11 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:33,120 Speaker 1: I want this issue as now with all the free expires, 12 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:35,320 Speaker 1: fourteen days have to receive. Restrictions APPLIESE terms at sports Books, 13 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 1: fanuel dot com, Gamily Problem, Gambler the Volume. Welcome back 14 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:49,559 Speaker 1: to the Richard Sherman Podcast. We got a very very 15 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:53,960 Speaker 1: special guest today. NFL p A Executive director Dean Murray 16 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:57,440 Speaker 1: Smith appreciates you joining me. Man, greatst to you, love 17 00:00:57,520 --> 00:01:00,720 Speaker 1: your brother, love your show, and thanks for having me 18 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:04,200 Speaker 1: on anytime anytime. You know this is a this is 19 00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:06,440 Speaker 1: the informative show, so we try to get the best 20 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:08,600 Speaker 1: in brightest minds, and you are one of the best 21 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 1: and brightest. I can look for somebody who's better, you know, brightest, 22 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:19,640 Speaker 1: but there's nobody else in the room. We had j 23 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:22,319 Speaker 1: C on and we we we had a good conversation. 24 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:24,680 Speaker 1: I think that was productive. I think people learned a lot, 25 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 1: but there's a lot more to learn. Always, and you know, 26 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 1: I think the first informatist thing I've always tried to 27 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:34,400 Speaker 1: do with this job is teach, you know, because man 28 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:37,800 Speaker 1: and and you know, if our players are are knowledgeable, 29 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:40,480 Speaker 1: if they take ownership of the issues like like you 30 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:43,200 Speaker 1: always did, if they work hard to understand, it makes 31 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 1: us a stronger union. Yeah, I mean, guy's gotta guys 32 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:49,160 Speaker 1: gotta be there, Guys gotta want the information, and guy's 33 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:52,680 Speaker 1: gotta gotta open email sometime. Dude. You know, you can 34 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:55,600 Speaker 1: only what are some of the challenges that you faced 35 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:58,960 Speaker 1: throughout your tenure, Because people don't understand when you came 36 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:01,680 Speaker 1: in there was literally gene had passed and there was 37 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:05,760 Speaker 1: nobody else who had ever done the job before living 38 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:07,800 Speaker 1: To get to advise you or for you to call 39 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:09,919 Speaker 1: and for you to like bounce ideas off of that 40 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:12,359 Speaker 1: had to be difficult. That was the worst part of 41 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:15,240 Speaker 1: the job, honestly, And and you know that that election 42 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:17,560 Speaker 1: in two thousand nine, you know, will always be kind 43 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:20,639 Speaker 1: of one of the crying points and in my career. 44 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:22,919 Speaker 1: But you know, you didn't you take the job. You 45 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:26,000 Speaker 1: take the job in what the election was in Hawaii 46 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:28,639 Speaker 1: that year. You take the job. I wrap up my 47 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:31,200 Speaker 1: law practice for the first time, I drive over to 48 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:35,720 Speaker 1: eleven Street to to sit into the chair, and I 49 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: remember driving there realizing I've never met any of the staff. 50 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:42,440 Speaker 1: I mean, I don't know who any of these people are. 51 00:02:42,639 --> 00:02:45,240 Speaker 1: I don't even know how to get to whatever floor 52 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:48,840 Speaker 1: I'm supposed to sit on. And not having Gene there 53 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:53,799 Speaker 1: to just manage that transition, what was the hardest thing, um, 54 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:57,519 Speaker 1: especially given the fact that what in eighteen months we 55 00:02:57,560 --> 00:02:59,320 Speaker 1: all knew we were gonna be locked out. It was 56 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:02,760 Speaker 1: gonna be the most vicious labor war of all time. 57 00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:06,040 Speaker 1: And you remember because you were heading into the National 58 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:08,920 Speaker 1: Football League at the time. But you know, the thing 59 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:11,919 Speaker 1: that was on the table from the owners was we 60 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 1: want the players to play eighteen games for free. We 61 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:18,320 Speaker 1: want to take back their salary, and we want the 62 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:21,519 Speaker 1: players to give up their pensions. I mean, other than that, 63 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:26,079 Speaker 1: the deal was great, right, and so you know, you 64 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:29,079 Speaker 1: kind of you kind of walk into a war and 65 00:03:29,639 --> 00:03:33,120 Speaker 1: it's a war that it's a war that you didn't choose. 66 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:36,080 Speaker 1: It's a war that somebody brought to you. And and 67 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:38,920 Speaker 1: to your point, the way we started this conversation, the 68 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:43,560 Speaker 1: biggest hurdle at the time was just trying to teach 69 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:48,280 Speaker 1: guys that the owners were serious about locking us out. 70 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:51,120 Speaker 1: You know, you remember because later on we you know, 71 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:57,480 Speaker 1: we always have interesting conversations with agents on interesting um. 72 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 1: Many of the agents didn't believe that the that the 73 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:03,680 Speaker 1: owners were gonna lock us out, and as a result, 74 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:06,840 Speaker 1: they weren't telling their players that they were gonna lock 75 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:10,680 Speaker 1: us out. Um. And so look, a lockout is a 76 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:14,880 Speaker 1: is a relatively simple thing to understand. Management comes in, 77 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:17,920 Speaker 1: they put their foot on your neck, They cut off 78 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:21,159 Speaker 1: your air, they cut off in our case, they cut 79 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:24,200 Speaker 1: off all of the health insurance for our players. We 80 00:04:24,279 --> 00:04:26,800 Speaker 1: had more than two dozen women who were looking to 81 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 1: give birth during the lockout who lost their health insurance. 82 00:04:29,640 --> 00:04:32,000 Speaker 1: It's a simple frame. Can we choke you out long 83 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:35,560 Speaker 1: enough for you to do what? What what you don't 84 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:39,040 Speaker 1: want to do? Right? And so educating the players and 85 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:41,640 Speaker 1: getting us to a point where we tried to teach 86 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:45,279 Speaker 1: players and get them to save their money. Um, try 87 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:48,200 Speaker 1: to get players to you know, be aggressive about their savings, 88 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:52,160 Speaker 1: be aggressive about their cobra. Um. Understand that this wasn't 89 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:56,240 Speaker 1: a regular negotiation tactic. This was just a chance to 90 00:04:56,360 --> 00:04:58,720 Speaker 1: try to wipe out the union and and wipe out 91 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 1: the players and doing so and and then after that 92 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:02,440 Speaker 1: it was an easy job, right, I mean, we go 93 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:05,279 Speaker 1: from that and nothing to worry about, you know, everything 94 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:09,560 Speaker 1: from the flight gate to Bounty, to Ray Rice, to 95 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:13,680 Speaker 1: Colin Kaepernick to Anthem too. You know, over the last 96 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:17,279 Speaker 1: fourteen years. You know, I think I think you've done 97 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:22,360 Speaker 1: a great job of making for people understand that there 98 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:25,360 Speaker 1: is no such thing as labor peace. But we're just 99 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:29,640 Speaker 1: always in a war, right, And you know, thankfully, you know, 100 00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:31,840 Speaker 1: I get to rely on guys like you who have 101 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:35,599 Speaker 1: been on the Executive Committee for so long. Your job 102 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:39,080 Speaker 1: is to teach that next generation. So what there's there's 103 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:43,600 Speaker 1: you and Mike t That's about it, right, that's the 104 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:47,840 Speaker 1: last few. But yeah, I mean you're the you're the 105 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:52,920 Speaker 1: senior members of the Executive Committee, and now you all 106 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:57,560 Speaker 1: are really taking on the job that Drew Berrees, Mike Rabel, 107 00:05:58,320 --> 00:06:04,080 Speaker 1: Jeff Saturday, Brian Dawkins, Dominique Foxworth, Kevin Carter, Mark Bruner, 108 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:07,920 Speaker 1: Keenan mccartell. You know, you guys are now taking on 109 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:10,880 Speaker 1: the job that those guys had in two thousand nine? 110 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:14,440 Speaker 1: How do we find the next leader? And um, I'm 111 00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:17,360 Speaker 1: just thankful. And I always promised myself this that if 112 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:19,920 Speaker 1: we ever got to a point where we've got a 113 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:23,360 Speaker 1: good deal, we have time before the next collective bargaining agreement, 114 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:27,160 Speaker 1: no executive er should come in again the way I 115 00:06:27,279 --> 00:06:31,760 Speaker 1: came in. Transition is important. Managing transition is important. And 116 00:06:31,839 --> 00:06:33,600 Speaker 1: we're at a great time in our union where things 117 00:06:33,640 --> 00:06:36,400 Speaker 1: are going extremely well. Um, let's set up the next 118 00:06:36,440 --> 00:06:39,839 Speaker 1: group for success. So talking about setting the next group 119 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:43,840 Speaker 1: up for success, because you've been through two CBA negotiations now, 120 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:46,680 Speaker 1: one of the most difficult ones in in the history 121 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:49,599 Speaker 1: of our union. Uh, and the last one we just did. 122 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 1: Tell me about some of the things that you you 123 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:55,160 Speaker 1: learned from the first deal. Obviously that one was kind 124 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:57,760 Speaker 1: of like, you know, trial by fire. You know, the 125 00:06:57,880 --> 00:07:00,520 Speaker 1: world's on fire trying to get everything together. This one 126 00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:03,760 Speaker 1: we have more time. You had more the players more educated, 127 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:06,400 Speaker 1: everything is more advanced, so it was a little different. 128 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:09,360 Speaker 1: Tell me about the things you were able to get done. Yeah, 129 00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:11,560 Speaker 1: I mean the things I learned. You know, the first 130 00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:17,119 Speaker 1: one by good Tequila, that was from the first one. Uh, 131 00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:20,360 Speaker 1: it makes a difference. Let's say, Um, I think the 132 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:26,240 Speaker 1: first one was really foot stomped the importance of education 133 00:07:26,760 --> 00:07:31,360 Speaker 1: and the importance of leadership, because that that was a 134 00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:36,440 Speaker 1: very very tough deal, right, and and the decisions that 135 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:38,240 Speaker 1: we had to make. I mean, by the time you 136 00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:41,560 Speaker 1: got into the league, we were dealing with a flat cap. Um, 137 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:44,680 Speaker 1: we had to make decisions about, you know, how we 138 00:07:44,760 --> 00:07:47,240 Speaker 1: were going to allocate benefits and put it into the 139 00:07:47,320 --> 00:07:50,760 Speaker 1: salary cap so that veteran players didn't get cut. And 140 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:54,280 Speaker 1: think about it, that's nearly the exact same thing we 141 00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:58,160 Speaker 1: did after twenty when we had to deal with cope. So, 142 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:01,920 Speaker 1: you know, in those small away the leadership decision that 143 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:05,840 Speaker 1: we learned inven of how to protect our membership and 144 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:09,040 Speaker 1: how to make tough choices. And and look, man, if 145 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:12,480 Speaker 1: these choices were easy, you know, somebody in grade school 146 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:16,000 Speaker 1: could do them right, But they're not easy. And yeah, 147 00:08:16,120 --> 00:08:18,720 Speaker 1: there's plenty of people who are sitting in an armchair 148 00:08:19,360 --> 00:08:22,840 Speaker 1: at home, you know, a nice comfy place, probably drinking 149 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:26,800 Speaker 1: something equally nice. Who always come up with, well, why 150 00:08:26,880 --> 00:08:28,960 Speaker 1: didn't you know? Why should have you? How come you? 151 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:31,600 Speaker 1: It's a little bit different when you're sitting in the 152 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:35,520 Speaker 1: chair and you have a pure understanding of what the 153 00:08:35,679 --> 00:08:39,920 Speaker 1: risks are and you have to make really really hard 154 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:44,000 Speaker 1: decisions knowing who your membership is and and let's not 155 00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:48,959 Speaker 1: get it twisted, knowing who the owners are, right, because 156 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:53,640 Speaker 1: none of them are nice. I mean not all of 157 00:08:53,679 --> 00:08:56,280 Speaker 1: them would cut your throat over a dollar if they could, 158 00:08:57,640 --> 00:09:01,439 Speaker 1: and they've tried. I think sometimes you get in the 159 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:06,360 Speaker 1: realm where what's happening? Now? You know the Damar Hamlin situation, 160 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:09,199 Speaker 1: there's so much positivity around it, there's so much you know, 161 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:11,920 Speaker 1: the bills in the NFL and NFL p A they 162 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:14,600 Speaker 1: negotiated to split out of his contract. Look at the owners, 163 00:09:14,679 --> 00:09:19,480 Speaker 1: they're so great, but they do not understand behind closed doors, 164 00:09:19,920 --> 00:09:23,000 Speaker 1: when push comes to showf sure one de deeed that 165 00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:26,480 Speaker 1: won't affect thirty one other team's bottom line or do it. 166 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:31,439 Speaker 1: But when it comes down to everybody's bottom line, no, 167 00:09:31,679 --> 00:09:33,959 Speaker 1: they'll they'll push up against the wall and flat out 168 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:37,320 Speaker 1: try to rob you, right. And and I think people 169 00:09:37,840 --> 00:09:42,199 Speaker 1: have this misconception that you know the commissioner is neutral. 170 00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:45,040 Speaker 1: He's not. I mean, you didn't vote for him. I 171 00:09:45,040 --> 00:09:48,040 Speaker 1: did n't before that the owners will always want to 172 00:09:48,559 --> 00:09:52,640 Speaker 1: to perpetuate and carry on football. Well we learned in that. 173 00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:55,360 Speaker 1: You know, if they get four billion dollars from the networks, 174 00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:58,920 Speaker 1: they're willing to shut football down. Why because they'll make 175 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:01,840 Speaker 1: up their loss in in less than a full season. 176 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:06,120 Speaker 1: And they would have created an economic structure where they 177 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:09,400 Speaker 1: would have reaped the benefit of us losing ten of 178 00:10:09,760 --> 00:10:13,160 Speaker 1: our revenue points forever. I mean, look at the locked 179 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:17,000 Speaker 1: out baseball. You know it took us twenty years of litigation, 180 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:22,439 Speaker 1: twenty years to get free agency. Um, we know what 181 00:10:22,559 --> 00:10:27,840 Speaker 1: they're doing with respect to hiring of of African American coaches. 182 00:10:28,559 --> 00:10:32,560 Speaker 1: We know that they make cheerleaders earned less than minimum wage. 183 00:10:33,320 --> 00:10:36,920 Speaker 1: These aren't people who wake up every day but into themselves. 184 00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:41,400 Speaker 1: What's gonna be good for Richard? What's be gonna know? 185 00:10:42,280 --> 00:10:44,760 Speaker 1: And and so I mean think about the other thing 186 00:10:44,800 --> 00:10:46,959 Speaker 1: that you know, and you know I've heard you talk 187 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:51,679 Speaker 1: about it before. This is the largest, I would argue, 188 00:10:52,080 --> 00:10:58,719 Speaker 1: the largest business in the world that is completely unregulated. 189 00:11:00,679 --> 00:11:05,080 Speaker 1: There's no board of directors, there's no tin k's, there's 190 00:11:05,120 --> 00:11:09,640 Speaker 1: no tin ques, there's no SEC oversight, there's no FCC oversight. 191 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:13,480 Speaker 1: They get to do things that no virtually no company 192 00:11:13,520 --> 00:11:18,640 Speaker 1: in America UM gets to do because they have antitrust exemptions, 193 00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:22,480 Speaker 1: congressional antitrust exemptions that allow them to go into the 194 00:11:22,559 --> 00:11:26,600 Speaker 1: market and and and negotiate singular TV deals. These are 195 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:30,079 Speaker 1: a group of people that literally to the definition or 196 00:11:30,120 --> 00:11:34,520 Speaker 1: above the law speaking of that, because you take a 197 00:11:34,679 --> 00:11:38,599 Speaker 1: lot of heat, and you take bullets that don't necessarily 198 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:43,040 Speaker 1: that shouldn't probably necessarily be intended for you, Like since 199 00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:46,240 Speaker 1: you're the head of the p A, then everything that 200 00:11:46,520 --> 00:11:48,160 Speaker 1: that happens to the p A is because of you. 201 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:51,720 Speaker 1: Every good thing is because of someone else. That sounds 202 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:54,760 Speaker 1: about right. It does. It also sounds like sort of 203 00:11:54,800 --> 00:11:57,880 Speaker 1: my life at home. So I'm not used to it. 204 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:01,680 Speaker 1: So nothing nothing, I'm not used to. Look, it comes 205 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:05,040 Speaker 1: with the job, right, It just comes with the job. 206 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:08,440 Speaker 1: And and and if you were a person who listens 207 00:12:08,559 --> 00:12:13,160 Speaker 1: to every uneducated person out there, man, then you can't 208 00:12:13,400 --> 00:12:16,719 Speaker 1: you can't do this job. If if you're consumed with 209 00:12:16,840 --> 00:12:20,520 Speaker 1: the noise you can't do this job. Um And most importantly, 210 00:12:20,559 --> 00:12:23,640 Speaker 1: if you don't understand history, you're completely unqualified for this job. 211 00:12:25,679 --> 00:12:28,640 Speaker 1: Just just be bluck speaking speaking of history, because you know, 212 00:12:28,679 --> 00:12:31,599 Speaker 1: we're always standing on the shoulders of all those that 213 00:12:31,679 --> 00:12:35,079 Speaker 1: come before us. And you know we're on Twitter and 214 00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:39,000 Speaker 1: every former players social security in this and the changes 215 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:43,040 Speaker 1: in the deal, and it's like, I hear you, I 216 00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:48,000 Speaker 1: hear you, very touchy subject. Again, if the league can, 217 00:12:49,400 --> 00:12:52,520 Speaker 1: they will cut your throat every chance they got they 218 00:12:52,559 --> 00:12:55,079 Speaker 1: can get. And so you're taking the heat for that. 219 00:12:55,240 --> 00:12:56,520 Speaker 1: And I don't know if you want to touch on that, 220 00:12:56,720 --> 00:13:01,239 Speaker 1: but it's frustrating. I mean, look, it's frustrating for anybody 221 00:13:01,320 --> 00:13:05,000 Speaker 1: in the room. Um, you know you included especially the 222 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:09,920 Speaker 1: CEE the Executive Committee, right, because, Um, they're tough decisions. 223 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:13,240 Speaker 1: And I understand sort of the passion behind it. I 224 00:13:13,320 --> 00:13:18,319 Speaker 1: understand the sort of the victual behind it. I get it. 225 00:13:18,920 --> 00:13:22,120 Speaker 1: But the reality is this, we have a business and 226 00:13:22,480 --> 00:13:27,400 Speaker 1: that business is a fully unionized workforce, and we make 227 00:13:27,559 --> 00:13:31,360 Speaker 1: tough decisions all the time where we fight for um, 228 00:13:31,559 --> 00:13:33,960 Speaker 1: increased shares of revenue like we did in the last deal. 229 00:13:34,120 --> 00:13:37,400 Speaker 1: We fight over wages, hours, working conditions, like we did 230 00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:39,679 Speaker 1: the last deal. And while there are a lot of 231 00:13:39,720 --> 00:13:42,959 Speaker 1: people out there that that you know are are rightfully 232 00:13:43,160 --> 00:13:47,199 Speaker 1: entitled to their criticism and rightfully entitled to their armchair 233 00:13:48,040 --> 00:13:52,079 Speaker 1: UM way of weighing in on everything, very few people 234 00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:55,920 Speaker 1: have ever had to sit in the room and actually 235 00:13:56,080 --> 00:14:00,040 Speaker 1: make these decisions. Right. And and here's the thing that 236 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:03,280 Speaker 1: I'm proud of. UM. We used to have a vesting 237 00:14:03,920 --> 00:14:06,959 Speaker 1: protocol in the Nashville Football League where it took you 238 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:10,599 Speaker 1: four years, if not longer, to vest What did you do? 239 00:14:11,440 --> 00:14:13,920 Speaker 1: You reached back to all of those players who had 240 00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:17,360 Speaker 1: a longer vesting period and you brought them up to 241 00:14:17,800 --> 00:14:21,040 Speaker 1: a three year vesting period. We used to have people 242 00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:24,320 Speaker 1: who never got to benefit from free agency. What did 243 00:14:24,440 --> 00:14:26,840 Speaker 1: you do? You reached back to all of those pre 244 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:32,680 Speaker 1: players and you increase their pensions up to current standards. 245 00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:35,880 Speaker 1: And I would argue there are very few unions, if 246 00:14:35,960 --> 00:14:41,000 Speaker 1: any union whatsoever, that reaches back and increases the pensions 247 00:14:41,160 --> 00:14:43,960 Speaker 1: for people who voted for a certain pension at the time. 248 00:14:44,280 --> 00:14:46,680 Speaker 1: I worked at a really, really, really large law firm 249 00:14:46,800 --> 00:14:50,800 Speaker 1: for ten years. I promise you none of those cats 250 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:54,760 Speaker 1: are thinking about, Hey d worked here for ten years. 251 00:14:55,560 --> 00:14:58,080 Speaker 1: Maybe we should just you know, give them a little 252 00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:01,040 Speaker 1: bit to increase his salary. No, all right, we're doing 253 00:15:01,080 --> 00:15:04,800 Speaker 1: better now, so let's make them better. Like it matters 254 00:15:04,840 --> 00:15:07,520 Speaker 1: what those men did, like they did sacrifice. And I 255 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:10,920 Speaker 1: think our membership and our leadership will always understand that. 256 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:13,680 Speaker 1: So we'll always reach BacT we will always try our best, 257 00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:18,400 Speaker 1: but we will also keep the current players on a 258 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:22,280 Speaker 1: trajectory that's always this way because they are currently building 259 00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:24,760 Speaker 1: the game. And look, and and again I've I've been 260 00:15:24,760 --> 00:15:28,320 Speaker 1: in those former player meetings. They too, and you take 261 00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:30,440 Speaker 1: the bullets. And you've been in the former player meetings, 262 00:15:30,520 --> 00:15:33,600 Speaker 1: and you take the bullets, and again we've done our 263 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:37,480 Speaker 1: our our true best two because we do stand on 264 00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:41,760 Speaker 1: the shoulders to to rectify and to try to increase 265 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:46,280 Speaker 1: things like pensions and and things like disability and other 266 00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:52,680 Speaker 1: supplemental um supplemental retirement packages. And no, it's not perfect, 267 00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:56,920 Speaker 1: it's simply not perfect. But you know, I can think 268 00:15:57,000 --> 00:15:59,320 Speaker 1: of four or five people where I've had that conversation 269 00:15:59,400 --> 00:16:01,760 Speaker 1: with where on the lest they remain angry and they 270 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:04,080 Speaker 1: want to you know, yell at me and find that 271 00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:07,360 Speaker 1: comes with a job to YadA YadA YadA. I get it. 272 00:16:08,080 --> 00:16:11,280 Speaker 1: When you were on the e c UM, when you 273 00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:15,400 Speaker 1: were playing at that time, you didn't reach back to 274 00:16:15,640 --> 00:16:20,880 Speaker 1: increase Sammy bos pension, did you? And you didn't reach 275 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:23,440 Speaker 1: back and do the things that a lot of the 276 00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:27,120 Speaker 1: current players have done since two thousand and nine. And 277 00:16:27,240 --> 00:16:31,960 Speaker 1: that's not a criticism, that's just reality. And so, yes, 278 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:35,680 Speaker 1: do we work to do everything we can UM to 279 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:40,920 Speaker 1: make the system more more fair, But man, we have tough, 280 00:16:41,280 --> 00:16:44,760 Speaker 1: tough decisions to make. And I think every now and 281 00:16:44,840 --> 00:16:47,280 Speaker 1: then you get a group of people who, you know, 282 00:16:47,400 --> 00:16:51,520 Speaker 1: maybe with the pains of history UM sort of act 283 00:16:51,640 --> 00:16:55,200 Speaker 1: like they would have done something differently when they were playing. 284 00:16:56,080 --> 00:16:59,000 Speaker 1: I think it's a pretty good argument that the players 285 00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:03,480 Speaker 1: since two thousand nine have done a tremendous amount of 286 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:07,800 Speaker 1: reaching back to take care of the former players, both 287 00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:11,240 Speaker 1: through benefits and other things. But all of those come 288 00:17:11,320 --> 00:17:15,040 Speaker 1: with really really tough decisions. Always, always it's really tough decisions, 289 00:17:15,119 --> 00:17:17,240 Speaker 1: and it's always nobody's gonna be happy. They are current 290 00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:20,200 Speaker 1: players that haven't even read the deal, and there they 291 00:17:20,320 --> 00:17:22,520 Speaker 1: listened to their agents or whoever is giving them advice 292 00:17:22,600 --> 00:17:24,879 Speaker 1: and say, oh, it's a terrible deal because A, B 293 00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:27,480 Speaker 1: and C. They didn't get you fully guaranteed deals. They didn't. 294 00:17:27,560 --> 00:17:29,560 Speaker 1: They didn't get this out your contracts. Like wait, you're 295 00:17:29,600 --> 00:17:33,880 Speaker 1: an agent, like you can negotiate that into the contract. 296 00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:36,640 Speaker 1: But since you're not great at your job, then it's 297 00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:40,720 Speaker 1: on the union to find ways to find leverage points 298 00:17:41,119 --> 00:17:44,199 Speaker 1: to get something out of the contract that you can 299 00:17:44,240 --> 00:17:46,600 Speaker 1: negotiate in there. If you're great at your job, and 300 00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:49,600 Speaker 1: if you're saying, hey, I'm not that great at my job, 301 00:17:49,800 --> 00:17:52,920 Speaker 1: I need your help, then when we're trying to create 302 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:57,320 Speaker 1: leverage points before negotiations, would be in the agent's best 303 00:17:57,400 --> 00:18:00,480 Speaker 1: interest to assist the p A and any of those 304 00:18:00,600 --> 00:18:03,200 Speaker 1: leverage points and educating those players so that when we 305 00:18:03,280 --> 00:18:05,639 Speaker 1: go to the table we have more leverage and can 306 00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:09,320 Speaker 1: move the needle a lot, a lot differently. And and 307 00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:12,200 Speaker 1: and look, I mean you've been on those calls, and 308 00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:15,199 Speaker 1: you've been on those agents meetings, and we I mean, 309 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:18,640 Speaker 1: unless you want to, we all remember the agent meeting 310 00:18:18,920 --> 00:18:21,840 Speaker 1: in at rat meeting where you know, I think we 311 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:24,520 Speaker 1: had one of our agents say that he didn't think 312 00:18:24,560 --> 00:18:28,280 Speaker 1: most of our players could spell cb A. That actually happens. 313 00:18:28,760 --> 00:18:31,040 Speaker 1: Sorry to bring it up, don't want to just not 314 00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:33,640 Speaker 1: trying to get you wound up trigger. But two things. 315 00:18:33,720 --> 00:18:36,200 Speaker 1: Can we just can we spend thirty seconds on on 316 00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:39,720 Speaker 1: guaranteed contracts so that we just level set this thing 317 00:18:40,119 --> 00:18:46,480 Speaker 1: forever place. No C B A in any sport guarantees 318 00:18:46,520 --> 00:18:49,879 Speaker 1: contracts for all of their um all of their workers. 319 00:18:50,080 --> 00:18:53,600 Speaker 1: And and I call our members workers not players. And 320 00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:56,639 Speaker 1: you know that's deliberate, especially because I'm sitting in the 321 00:18:56,840 --> 00:19:00,159 Speaker 1: f l c i O headquarters right now. No C 322 00:19:00,359 --> 00:19:04,440 Speaker 1: B A guarantees all of the contracts for any workers 323 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:09,320 Speaker 1: in sports. Free agent contracts became a thing of custom, 324 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:13,360 Speaker 1: primarily starting off in the NBA when Larry Birds signed 325 00:19:13,920 --> 00:19:19,480 Speaker 1: the first fully guaranteed contract and he was measuring up 326 00:19:19,520 --> 00:19:22,120 Speaker 1: against most of Malone's contract from I think a year 327 00:19:22,560 --> 00:19:27,200 Speaker 1: or so before. Moons contract contained a lot of incentive 328 00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:30,000 Speaker 1: based salary if he was an All pro m VP 329 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:34,520 Speaker 1: won a national or world championship. Some of the salary 330 00:19:34,640 --> 00:19:38,600 Speaker 1: was triggered on on how much apparel he sold. Larry 331 00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:40,359 Speaker 1: Bird was the first person that came in and said, 332 00:19:40,640 --> 00:19:44,080 Speaker 1: all that is brain, but I want my contract not 333 00:19:44,280 --> 00:19:49,320 Speaker 1: to be continuously incentive based, fully guaranteed, so that's not 334 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:53,240 Speaker 1: a CBA mechanism. After that happened, the free agent players 335 00:19:53,280 --> 00:19:56,480 Speaker 1: in basketball primarily came out and said, I want my 336 00:19:56,640 --> 00:20:00,639 Speaker 1: contract to be structured just like Larry Bird's contract. And 337 00:20:00,720 --> 00:20:03,439 Speaker 1: then you had a thing of custom that moved its 338 00:20:03,480 --> 00:20:08,600 Speaker 1: way through baseball, moved its way through basketball. You and 339 00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:13,840 Speaker 1: I were intimately involved in and what we were doing, 340 00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:16,080 Speaker 1: what the union was doing with respect to the Kirk 341 00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:19,639 Speaker 1: Cousins contract. Right, so he comes out of a system 342 00:20:19,680 --> 00:20:23,520 Speaker 1: where he gets franchised twice. That's the one thing we 343 00:20:23,720 --> 00:20:27,359 Speaker 1: did with the Collective Bargaining Agreement. We made those franchise tags, 344 00:20:27,520 --> 00:20:32,080 Speaker 1: why fully guaranteed. So now when that young man went 345 00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:35,840 Speaker 1: into the market, he rightly said to himself, why would 346 00:20:35,920 --> 00:20:41,520 Speaker 1: I get anything less than a fully guaranteed contract, Because 347 00:20:41,600 --> 00:20:45,960 Speaker 1: for the last two tags, I've been fully guaranteed. So 348 00:20:46,119 --> 00:20:49,200 Speaker 1: he gets a fully guaranteed contract. And I'll be dead 349 00:20:49,200 --> 00:20:52,440 Speaker 1: honest with you, Richard, I mean I honestly believed, Okay, 350 00:20:52,520 --> 00:20:56,560 Speaker 1: that's this is our Larry that's gonna do it. Don't 351 00:20:56,600 --> 00:21:01,480 Speaker 1: do it. That's a wrap. No, we have free agent 352 00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:05,800 Speaker 1: players that come after him who, for whatever reason, don't 353 00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:09,240 Speaker 1: get fully guaranteed contracts, and you keep the cycle going. 354 00:21:09,359 --> 00:21:13,240 Speaker 1: So you run into a situation like Lamar Jackson's in. Yeah, 355 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:15,680 Speaker 1: And at the end of the day, you can say 356 00:21:15,760 --> 00:21:18,000 Speaker 1: that you didn't do this, The union didn't do that, 357 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:21,560 Speaker 1: this guy didn't do that. What did you do? Right? 358 00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:25,400 Speaker 1: Stands your ground. You know, Kirk Cousins has a fantastic 359 00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:30,320 Speaker 1: a UM and and and he himself is a is 360 00:21:30,400 --> 00:21:33,800 Speaker 1: a young man that understands the business of football. You 361 00:21:33,960 --> 00:21:38,959 Speaker 1: move forward and Deshaun Watson's contract is equally fully guaranteed. 362 00:21:39,640 --> 00:21:42,159 Speaker 1: The same thing happens for whatever reason after that. We 363 00:21:42,280 --> 00:21:46,800 Speaker 1: have high profile players who don't have a fully guaranteed contract. 364 00:21:47,760 --> 00:21:50,840 Speaker 1: And that's why now there's so much of this discussion 365 00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:54,600 Speaker 1: around Lamar Jackson, right, and does that young man um 366 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:59,760 Speaker 1: deserve a fully guaranteed contract without a doubt, without a 367 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:04,440 Speaker 1: And so what we try to urge the agents to 368 00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:08,720 Speaker 1: do is understand the history, Understand the leverage that you 369 00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:12,000 Speaker 1: have utilized the leverage. The flip side of it is 370 00:22:12,320 --> 00:22:15,920 Speaker 1: it's the union's dude beats a whole management accountable to 371 00:22:16,040 --> 00:22:20,119 Speaker 1: the collective bargaining Agreement, and that collective Bartier agreement says 372 00:22:20,320 --> 00:22:25,960 Speaker 1: that owners cannot collude to frustrate the will of the 373 00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:28,840 Speaker 1: c b A or the will of three Enterprise when 374 00:22:28,840 --> 00:22:32,240 Speaker 1: it comes to the contracts. So you know, I can't 375 00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:35,840 Speaker 1: technically talk about you know, confidential grievances, and you and 376 00:22:35,920 --> 00:22:39,440 Speaker 1: I are not talking about a confidential grievance. I will 377 00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:44,560 Speaker 1: say that somebody, maybe Pro Football Talk, reported that we 378 00:22:44,760 --> 00:22:46,720 Speaker 1: may have filed a grievance. I'm not going to comment 379 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:49,919 Speaker 1: on that at all, but you know, and and by 380 00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:51,639 Speaker 1: the way, I get this, I get this thing to 381 00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:54,920 Speaker 1: these two confrontational. He's a trial lawyer and he wants 382 00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:58,720 Speaker 1: to litigate or d always wants to fight. My only 383 00:22:58,800 --> 00:23:01,919 Speaker 1: question back to most of those is if you understood 384 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:06,800 Speaker 1: the history of the National Football League and their relationship 385 00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:11,199 Speaker 1: with the players since the nineteen seventies, it's always been 386 00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:14,720 Speaker 1: a better fight, always, and and your only choice in 387 00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:18,120 Speaker 1: this job is whether you're gonna fight or whether you're 388 00:23:18,160 --> 00:23:22,680 Speaker 1: gonna acquiesce in news. That's it, right, okay, And don't 389 00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:25,400 Speaker 1: don't fight. Just accept that they're going to take things 390 00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:28,800 Speaker 1: from you and and fold you into a corner and 391 00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:31,200 Speaker 1: and then just fold so you don't want to we 392 00:23:31,240 --> 00:23:36,159 Speaker 1: won't even fight. We can vote. That's your choice. And 393 00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:39,680 Speaker 1: if you think that somehow you're gonna walk into a 394 00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:43,680 Speaker 1: room with a group of people who think about what 395 00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:47,320 Speaker 1: they've accomplished and look to a certain to a certain point, 396 00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:51,840 Speaker 1: their success, you know, has has translated into our success. 397 00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:57,320 Speaker 1: The the NFL has put every competitor league, for the 398 00:23:57,400 --> 00:24:01,879 Speaker 1: most part, in the ground in the ground. You know. 399 00:24:01,960 --> 00:24:04,960 Speaker 1: We started our free agency fight with John Mackie in 400 00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:10,280 Speaker 1: one We didn't get free agency until we won a 401 00:24:10,440 --> 00:24:16,520 Speaker 1: jury trial in twenty years. And I would argue that 402 00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:21,680 Speaker 1: the one thing that has made football great free agency. Right. 403 00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:24,480 Speaker 1: And so you think about the things and the fights 404 00:24:24,560 --> 00:24:27,440 Speaker 1: that that this union has done. When you came into 405 00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:29,639 Speaker 1: the league, or right before you came into the league, 406 00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:33,760 Speaker 1: we had some teams that were perpetually spending the salary cap. 407 00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:35,800 Speaker 1: I mean tons of people were like, oh my goodness, 408 00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:37,760 Speaker 1: the cap is this? The cap is that, The cap 409 00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:39,359 Speaker 1: is gonna be this, The cap is gonna be that. 410 00:24:40,480 --> 00:24:42,600 Speaker 1: I can remember my first meeting with the players going, 411 00:24:42,840 --> 00:24:44,280 Speaker 1: I mean, I know we talked a lot about this 412 00:24:44,359 --> 00:24:47,160 Speaker 1: salary cap thing, but don't we really care about the floor? 413 00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:50,840 Speaker 1: I mean, we care about it grumbling, but don't we 414 00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:54,680 Speaker 1: care that they spend it? And I would argue that 415 00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:58,320 Speaker 1: the NFL that you see today is the result of 416 00:24:58,520 --> 00:25:05,480 Speaker 1: three dominating factors, obviously, television, free agency, and teams being 417 00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:11,600 Speaker 1: forced to spend the majority of the salary cap, because again, 418 00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:16,639 Speaker 1: you used to have teams that were perpetually losers, I mean, 419 00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:21,360 Speaker 1: and by the way, they were happy owners making money 420 00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:26,119 Speaker 1: because they're Every team in this league is not trying 421 00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:28,720 Speaker 1: to win the Super Bowl. I'm sorry, fans, I hate 422 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:30,320 Speaker 1: to break it to you. I really hate to be 423 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:33,200 Speaker 1: that guy. Every team in the National Football League is 424 00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:35,040 Speaker 1: not trying to win the Super Bowl. Some of these 425 00:25:35,119 --> 00:25:38,200 Speaker 1: owners are trying to make a buck and they're making it. 426 00:25:39,119 --> 00:25:42,639 Speaker 1: They're making it. And it was worse when we didn't 427 00:25:42,680 --> 00:25:46,160 Speaker 1: have a floor under the salary cap, because you could 428 00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:51,080 Speaker 1: spend sev of the salary cap, the owners would pocket 429 00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:58,399 Speaker 1: the rest and less of spend simply made you not competitive. 430 00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:01,639 Speaker 1: So look, I love the fact that that we have 431 00:26:02,119 --> 00:26:04,000 Speaker 1: a great game. I love the fact that we have 432 00:26:05,320 --> 00:26:09,400 Speaker 1: ridiculous business. But but after fourteen years in this job, 433 00:26:09,720 --> 00:26:13,359 Speaker 1: I'm most appreciative that we've always been able to find 434 00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:17,000 Speaker 1: a group of leaders who are willing to look forward. 435 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:19,879 Speaker 1: How do we make sure that we grow and and 436 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:22,520 Speaker 1: take care of the active player community. How do we 437 00:26:22,600 --> 00:26:25,160 Speaker 1: make sure that we stay strong as a union, because 438 00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:28,680 Speaker 1: then that allows us the luxury of reaching back and 439 00:26:28,760 --> 00:26:32,720 Speaker 1: speaking everybody who goes forward, speaking of looking forward, because 440 00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:34,680 Speaker 1: that's a great point in a great caveat to our 441 00:26:34,800 --> 00:26:38,960 Speaker 1: last session. What the players need to do going forward? 442 00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:42,159 Speaker 1: And what advice would you have to the next e 443 00:26:42,359 --> 00:26:47,320 Speaker 1: d that comes in, UM, going into that CB a negotiation. 444 00:26:47,880 --> 00:26:50,840 Speaker 1: You know three things, UM, for for the for the 445 00:26:50,920 --> 00:26:54,280 Speaker 1: person coming into the job. This is a trade union job. 446 00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:57,920 Speaker 1: It's a union job. I know a lot of people 447 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:00,520 Speaker 1: out there just think that this is somehow a unique 448 00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:04,720 Speaker 1: sports things separate from everybody else. But think about it. 449 00:27:05,040 --> 00:27:07,600 Speaker 1: You know, unions in this country have fought for wages, 450 00:27:07,760 --> 00:27:11,119 Speaker 1: hours and working conditions. What are our core things that 451 00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:14,920 Speaker 1: are at our union wages, hours, working conditions. I know 452 00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:17,640 Speaker 1: that there is a lot of of everybody has their 453 00:27:17,800 --> 00:27:20,359 Speaker 1: their perspective on the on the seventeenth game, and that 454 00:27:20,560 --> 00:27:22,440 Speaker 1: was a that was a thing where it was a 455 00:27:22,480 --> 00:27:25,280 Speaker 1: battle between us, right the seventeenth game was out there 456 00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:30,520 Speaker 1: the league, you know, made everything contingent on us getting 457 00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:33,840 Speaker 1: the seventeenth game. But I also like to remind people, 458 00:27:34,240 --> 00:27:38,560 Speaker 1: UM and certainly the older people myself included, UM, who 459 00:27:38,680 --> 00:27:41,440 Speaker 1: listened to your show. I remember a time when we 460 00:27:41,720 --> 00:27:45,760 Speaker 1: played fourteen games in the Nashville Football League, it went 461 00:27:45,840 --> 00:27:49,240 Speaker 1: to sixteen games. Do you know what didn't change the 462 00:27:49,359 --> 00:27:52,960 Speaker 1: compensation of the players. The revenue share didn't change. The 463 00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:56,440 Speaker 1: overall compensation of the players didn't change. When we moved 464 00:27:56,480 --> 00:27:59,800 Speaker 1: from fourteen games to sixteen games, we had the same 465 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:04,240 Speaker 1: share of revenue. Players were getting the same In eleven. 466 00:28:04,359 --> 00:28:07,680 Speaker 1: We changed that because we said that the league needed 467 00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:11,320 Speaker 1: to get the union's consent to add that extra game. 468 00:28:12,040 --> 00:28:15,600 Speaker 1: And at the time of the two thousand six c 469 00:28:15,800 --> 00:28:18,400 Speaker 1: b A, the league could have gone up to nineteen 470 00:28:18,480 --> 00:28:23,080 Speaker 1: games without asking the union permission. So you fast forward 471 00:28:23,119 --> 00:28:29,080 Speaker 1: to what happens. The league bought a seventeenth game right 472 00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:32,479 Speaker 1: for for by my calculation, somewhere between one point two 473 00:28:32,520 --> 00:28:35,359 Speaker 1: and one point six billion dollars that they had for 474 00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:41,800 Speaker 1: free and two thousand and ten wages hours working for UM. 475 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:44,760 Speaker 1: For for what players need to focus on. You know, 476 00:28:44,880 --> 00:28:48,200 Speaker 1: your your journey in the Union, and and and the 477 00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:50,040 Speaker 1: way in which you and I have always dealt with 478 00:28:50,120 --> 00:28:53,520 Speaker 1: each other, the player, the player you were, the way 479 00:28:53,600 --> 00:28:57,040 Speaker 1: you came into the union UM wanting to learn, to 480 00:28:57,280 --> 00:29:01,120 Speaker 1: be hungry for information, being in assistant, on on on 481 00:29:01,280 --> 00:29:04,120 Speaker 1: the answers, and look, you and I we always there 482 00:29:04,160 --> 00:29:05,680 Speaker 1: were times you and I would go head to head, 483 00:29:05,720 --> 00:29:08,160 Speaker 1: toe to toe. I blame you for all of this, 484 00:29:10,080 --> 00:29:13,720 Speaker 1: all of it, all of it, all of it. It's 485 00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:15,960 Speaker 1: not true, but I blame you for all of it, 486 00:29:17,720 --> 00:29:21,120 Speaker 1: or at least a decent majority of it. But I 487 00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:24,320 Speaker 1: always loved you and I getting into it because it 488 00:29:24,440 --> 00:29:28,000 Speaker 1: always came from a place of love. Love for our union, 489 00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:32,080 Speaker 1: love for our players, and love for the fight, right um. 490 00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:35,440 Speaker 1: And that's great, um, But we also know that, man, 491 00:29:35,640 --> 00:29:37,400 Speaker 1: we might mix it up in a in a room, 492 00:29:37,560 --> 00:29:39,720 Speaker 1: and we might have a ton of different views and 493 00:29:39,840 --> 00:29:42,880 Speaker 1: different opinions, but I always the fact that when it 494 00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:44,680 Speaker 1: was time for us to shut the door and walk out, 495 00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:48,840 Speaker 1: we were unified you. And that's just a level of 496 00:29:48,960 --> 00:29:53,000 Speaker 1: sobriety and maturity that every leader has to decide that 497 00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:55,040 Speaker 1: that that we would go. And the last thing I 498 00:29:55,040 --> 00:29:57,400 Speaker 1: would say for players, I'm talking about players who want 499 00:29:57,400 --> 00:30:00,760 Speaker 1: to be leaders. The the executive commit in two thousand. 500 00:30:01,040 --> 00:30:03,400 Speaker 1: You know who negotiated that deal in in two thousand. 501 00:30:04,240 --> 00:30:08,720 Speaker 1: You know that that ramp up. I've worked with a 502 00:30:08,920 --> 00:30:12,440 Speaker 1: lot of executive committeees um over the years, and and 503 00:30:12,520 --> 00:30:16,160 Speaker 1: a lot of a lot of presidents. Um, that first 504 00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:19,000 Speaker 1: group that went through the lockout was a group tried 505 00:30:19,080 --> 00:30:22,080 Speaker 1: by fire, and I would say that's an outside fire, right, 506 00:30:22,240 --> 00:30:26,360 Speaker 1: just a war. I'm not gonna go into a lot 507 00:30:26,360 --> 00:30:32,280 Speaker 1: of details, but the things that this EC handled leading 508 00:30:32,360 --> 00:30:36,080 Speaker 1: up to and right after this deal, we're we're dealing 509 00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:41,440 Speaker 1: with a lot of the issue internally that were extremely tough, right. 510 00:30:41,680 --> 00:30:44,520 Speaker 1: I mean again, you know what I'm talking about. But 511 00:30:44,680 --> 00:30:49,000 Speaker 1: think about it, you you guys, and that leadership shepherd 512 00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:51,720 Speaker 1: us through an early deal, and any early deal is 513 00:30:51,800 --> 00:30:55,160 Speaker 1: a tough deal, right because you're always asking yourself the 514 00:30:55,240 --> 00:31:00,760 Speaker 1: question or can we do better later? Who knows? Who knows? 515 00:31:01,760 --> 00:31:04,040 Speaker 1: But when you're dealing with it with you know, the 516 00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:07,440 Speaker 1: issues we had to deal with internally, which were something 517 00:31:07,600 --> 00:31:13,720 Speaker 1: I've never dealt with before, never want to deal with again. Um, 518 00:31:14,240 --> 00:31:17,560 Speaker 1: but think what you guys did. You got a cb 519 00:31:17,680 --> 00:31:27,280 Speaker 1: A done when baseball shutdown, basketball shutdown, hockey shutdown, March 520 00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:30,920 Speaker 1: madness shut down, and you were the first and only 521 00:31:31,720 --> 00:31:37,240 Speaker 1: Executive Committee who ever had to deal with a worldwide pandemic. 522 00:31:38,640 --> 00:31:41,320 Speaker 1: And then as soon as the ink was dry on 523 00:31:41,480 --> 00:31:45,200 Speaker 1: that document, you remember what three days later I picked 524 00:31:45,280 --> 00:31:46,880 Speaker 1: up the phone and called you guys. We had a 525 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:49,520 Speaker 1: call and I said, hey, look, let's just get everybody 526 00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:51,320 Speaker 1: just needs to get to their head square around this. 527 00:31:52,520 --> 00:31:54,800 Speaker 1: We're in a pandemic that's gonna shut down the world. 528 00:31:56,200 --> 00:31:59,720 Speaker 1: And we have to decide first whether we should even 529 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:03,840 Speaker 1: a NFL football And if we're gonna play NFL football, 530 00:32:04,400 --> 00:32:09,720 Speaker 1: how in the hell do we protect a membership in 531 00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:15,640 Speaker 1: a contact spard in a contact pandemic. And and you 532 00:32:15,760 --> 00:32:19,640 Speaker 1: guys came up with the models that became what I 533 00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:23,880 Speaker 1: still consider to be the goal standard of what workers 534 00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:28,880 Speaker 1: are entitled to in a pandemic. You shut down training camp, 535 00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:33,240 Speaker 1: you shut down UM O t A S, you shut 536 00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:37,200 Speaker 1: down the preseason, You changed the way practice was held, 537 00:32:37,920 --> 00:32:41,960 Speaker 1: you changed the way meetings were held. And we made 538 00:32:42,040 --> 00:32:46,360 Speaker 1: the NFL pay all the cost of protecting us through 539 00:32:46,400 --> 00:32:49,920 Speaker 1: a pandemic. No other business in America, no other business 540 00:32:49,960 --> 00:32:53,160 Speaker 1: in the world, pull that off, not one, not one. 541 00:32:54,000 --> 00:33:00,200 Speaker 1: Um help ride, my friend, it's almost it's almost over. 542 00:33:00,280 --> 00:33:04,200 Speaker 1: From me and you, brother, we're writing Open the Sunshine 543 00:33:04,240 --> 00:33:07,640 Speaker 1: to sun Set together. Well, anybody a year and a half, man, 544 00:33:07,680 --> 00:33:09,360 Speaker 1: you're gonna see me in a wig. You know, I'm 545 00:33:09,360 --> 00:33:10,760 Speaker 1: just gonna go out and hiding for a little while. 546 00:33:10,800 --> 00:33:15,959 Speaker 1: I'm having those big acting chance not change right right right. 547 00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:17,720 Speaker 1: I love it. I love it. I gotta feel that 548 00:33:17,720 --> 00:33:20,280 Speaker 1: you're gonna be in Tahiti somewhere, you know, slipping my 549 00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:23,840 Speaker 1: ties and things of that nature. There's room for you. Man. 550 00:33:24,360 --> 00:33:27,440 Speaker 1: Appreciate that. I really appreciate that. I appreciate you coming 551 00:33:27,480 --> 00:33:29,920 Speaker 1: on day. It means a lot. You know your sacrifice, 552 00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:32,400 Speaker 1: your work throughout, You know your time and what you've 553 00:33:32,440 --> 00:33:34,680 Speaker 1: done for our players and our union. I mean, can't 554 00:33:34,680 --> 00:33:37,240 Speaker 1: speak enough on it, can't give you enough credit, can't 555 00:33:37,280 --> 00:33:40,680 Speaker 1: give you enough thanks and praise. I'll see you soon, obviously, 556 00:33:40,760 --> 00:33:42,720 Speaker 1: there's still work to be done, and I appreciate you 557 00:33:42,800 --> 00:33:46,040 Speaker 1: doing it. Appreciate you coming on. Keep the fire, brother, 558 00:33:46,600 --> 00:34:09,239 Speaker 1: speak truth to power. That's what we do. Always the 559 00:34:09,440 --> 00:34:09,840 Speaker 1: volume