Smith's Dilemma on

[Thundering Buffalo]

9. De Smith’s dilemma, and possible agenda.
Less than two years ago, DeMaurice Smith became the executive director of the NFL Players Association. Many league insiders believe that, unlike his predecessor, Gene Upshaw, Smith doesn’t plan to remain in the job for more than 20 years. The perception is that Smith has bigger ambitions — political ambitions.
Folks with political ambitions realize that those ambitions can be better realized by publicity. And a lockout imposed by the owners would thrust Smith into the national spotlight, especially if it were to linger into September. As a result, there are more than a few folks on the ownership side of the equation who genuinely believe that Smith will refuse to do a deal until he has had a chance to maximize his own personal “Q” rating.

[Thundering Buffalo]

Sorry jammed my keyboard before I could post my thoughts. Warning to Smith if you want to use our passion for this sport to move forward your political agenda...GO SCREW YOURSELF! I sick of politicians using the american public like chess pieces to further their careers. If there is a lock out and Smith starts digging in his heels I hope there will be hell to pay from the fans of all teams!

[T-Long]

He was on Moving the Chains yesterday on Sirius and addressed that rumor. He was pissed that people thought that. He guaranteed that he will keep this job until the players no longer want him. He said he has no political aspirations, and it's just B.S. Take that for what it's worth, but he was pissed about it.

[Thundering Buffalo]

PLEASE...he's lying through his teeth like they all do he has political aspirations, everyone knows it and he's pissed because he got called out before his plan could be put in motion. We will know if and when a CBA is done, if he wants us to believe him get a deal done before March 4th and cut the BS!

[ddaryl]

Sorry jammed my keyboard before I could post my thoughts. Warning to Smith if you want to use our passion for this sport to move forward your political agenda...GO SCREW YOURSELF! I sick of politicians using the american public like chess pieces to further their careers. If there is a lock out and Smith starts digging in his heels I hope there will be hell to pay from the fans of all teams!


Hmmm... isn't this par for the course in our media today. Spin a lie or a half truth and watch the lemmings run with it.

it's why our country is completely dysfunctional.

Who would do such a thing... Maybe someone in bed with the owners trying to help the owners gain public leverage by tickling the anger of fans who stand to miss out on next season ???? Paint the other guy as the bad guy, and deflect any blame for the upcoming negotiaitions / lockout.

what I find hillarious is your the typical fish on the line.. You took it hook line and sinker.. heck you might have even swallowed the bobber as well, and you gleefully ran with it all based on your perception of what you chose to believe.

[Thundering Buffalo]

Actions speak louder than words...don't choke on that hook

Let's focus on Mr. Smith.
DeMaurice Smith is, hard to believe, a hard core cheerleader for Team Obama. Specifically, Smith gave $3,300 to Barack Obama's presidential campaign between 2007 and 2008. according to the Federal Elections Commission. When he wasn't busy giving money to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic Party of Virginia, the re-election campaign of the District of Columbia's Democratic U.S. House non-voting delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Indiana's Democratic Senator Evan Bayh and, in the way back, the presidential campaign of Democrat Senator John Kerry.
That would be seven contributions total, all to liberal or left-wing Democrats.
You think there might be just the teensiest bit of conflict of interest in Mr. Smith's straight-faced insistence that he is all about dealing in unity, cheering, transcending, overcoming division and hatred?
What a laugh.
So what does Mr. Smith do in his real life when he isn't busy juggling the massive conflict of interest that is using the façade of football to zap one of the leading opponents of Mr. Obama, the man to whom Smith has channeled $3,300? Why…wait for it….Smith is a lobbyist on the payroll of the DC lobbying powerhouse Patton Boggs and Blow.
How do we know this? Because Patton, in the wonderfully condescending way that liberal Democrats have with the blacks on their short-leashed intellectual plantation, let the world know how proud they were not of Mr. Smith's legal and lobbying skills. No, they let the world know how proud they were that their House Black Lobbyist got an award

[ddaryl]

Actions speak louder than words...don't choke on that hook

Let's focus on Mr. Smith.
DeMaurice Smith is, hard to believe, a hard core cheerleader for Team Obama. Specifically, Smith gave $3,300 to Barack Obama's presidential campaign between 2007 and 2008. according to the Federal Elections Commission. When he wasn't busy giving money to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic Party of Virginia, the re-election campaign of the District of Columbia's Democratic U.S. House non-voting delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Indiana's Democratic Senator Evan Bayh and, in the way back, the presidential campaign of Democrat Senator John Kerry.
That would be seven contributions total, all to liberal or left-wing Democrats.
You think there might be just the teensiest bit of conflict of interest in Mr. Smith's straight-faced insistence that he is all about dealing in unity, cheering, transcending, overcoming division and hatred?
What a laugh.
So what does Mr. Smith do in his real life when he isn't busy juggling the massive conflict of interest that is using the façade of football to zap one of the leading opponents of Mr. Obama, the man to whom Smith has channeled $3,300? Why…wait for it….Smith is a lobbyist on the payroll of the DC lobbying powerhouse Patton Boggs and Blow.
How do we know this? Because Patton, in the wonderfully condescending way that liberal Democrats have with the blacks on their short-leashed intellectual plantation, let the world know how proud they were not of Mr. Smith's legal and lobbying skills. No, they let the world know how proud they were that their House Black Lobbyist got an award


Ha Ha Ha Ha.. LMFAO



When you come up with an equal listing of all the NFL owners who gave mucho denero to politicians then we can have a real discussion.

Your obviously looking to string up anyone who donated to a democrat. You do realize unions in general prefer democrat candidates.. hence why he might be donating to a democrat. As a union leader he is also going to lobby the government .. that's how our present day government works... Lobbyist can be evil, but they are entrenched on both sides of the political spectrum in massive amounts. Why is that.. because it works. Lobbyists have multiplied in DC because they obviously work... I don't like that either, but if I had people to represent I would do what I had to do to help my constituents....

If he donated to the right you would be Ok with it and would have never brought up this topic IMO.. Somebody got you all stirred up on another forum or something and my bet what upsets you the most is the word Obama.

Lots of people are involved in politics that never aspire to be politicians. He is doing his job by influencing politics for the betterment of the people he represents. That's the way it works, and the way it has been for decades.

For you this is so obviously a personal preference thing... you go ahead and believe what you want... this is a labor dispute like all the rest before and nothing else.

nice try though...


I have to admit I love that last paragraph.. Really tells the tale

[Night Train]

Usually, the rich donate to both sides. They don't care what party their puppets belong to.

Meet the owners halfway and it's a done deal, although the owners themselves have to realize the 18 game schedule is NOT a good idea.

[Thundering Buffalo]

HONESTLY..I don't give a rats a$$ who he donates to right or left, what I DO care about is someone who has an ulterior motive that will damage the sport I'm a fan of. I do believe in producing a product that the public demands and making a profit...the owners provide the capital and the players produce the product that we demand as fans...EVERYONE profits! I hope your political affiliation doesn't cloud the potential damage Smith could do to OUR sport.

[tomz]

HONESTLY..I don't give a rats a$$ who he donates to right or left, what I DO care about is someone who has an ulterior motive that will damage the sport I'm a fan of. I do believe in producing a product that the public demands and making a profit...the owners provide the capital and the players produce the product that we demand as fans...EVERYONE profits! I hope your political affiliation doesn't cloud the potential damage Smith could do to OUR sport.

You proved a couple posts ago that your political agenda damages your assessment so isn't this pot calling kettle black? If you don't give a rat's ass, why did you inject your obvious right-wing name calling into the post?

It takes two to tango and it is pretty obvious that the posturing and rumor mongering will be coming from all parties. However, I will note that the right wing, here associated with the owners, has proven to be the masters of these sleazy methods. That is not to prejudge, it is just pointing out what has been obvious over the last couple decades.

[NoVabillsfan89]

HONESTLY..I don't give a rats a$$ who he donates to right or left, what I DO care about is someone who has an ulterior motive that will damage the sport I'm a fan of. I do believe in producing a product that the public demands and making a profit...the owners provide the capital and the players produce the product that we demand as fans...EVERYONE profits! I hope your political affiliation doesn't cloud the potential damage Smith could do to OUR sport.

So how does botching the labor negotiations help further his political career? Do you think it will help him to go down as the guy who shared any responsibility for an extended work stoppage?

The only way he comes out of this looking good is to effectively do what he was hired to do - negotiate the best possible deal for the players.

And the story (http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/01/12/ten-things-to-know-about-the-labor-situation/) you pulled that from (completely out of context, I might add) was blatantly pro-ownership.

[YardRat]

I'm guessing he runs on the Democratic ticket. Call it a hunch.

[Thundering Buffalo]

Typical liberal BS taking common sense and facts twisting them to the left and pointing the finger at everyone except the culprit in the mirror. It was clearly stated in the article by PFT what his motives COULD be from a PR perspective if this thing goes public and goes beyond Mar 4th. The NFL is America's Game and it draws a tremendous amount of attention, so yes his name and Goodell's will be all over tje media until its resolved. When it is finally resolved both parties will praise each other for working together and Smith will look like a hero and we will be happy as fans that the game is back. Time to wake up and face reality fans of the NFL are being used.

[TrEd FTW]

This guy's a piece of trash. Typical politics-driven slimebag.

[NoVabillsfan89]

Typical liberal BS taking common sense and facts twisting them to the left and pointing the finger at everyone except the culprit in the mirror. It was clearly stated in the article by PFT what his motives COULD be from a PR perspective if this thing goes public and goes beyond Mar 4th. The NFL is America's Game and it draws a tremendous amount of attention, so yes his name and Goodell's will be all over tje media until its resolved. When it is finally resolved both parties will praise each other for working together and Smith will look like a hero and we will be happy as fans that the game is back. Time to wake up and face reality fans of the NFL are being used.

What is your point?

From that post, all I get is that you don't like liberals and you think the fans are being used.

Being used? What does that even mean? No one is forcing you to watch or spend money on tickets and jerseys.

Who is the culprit in the mirror? Are you blaming me for the impending lockout? All I did was post a few sentences on an internet forum.

And how is suggesting that the head of the players union is going to try and do what's best for the members of that union twisting facts to the left?

What if I said "the NFL negotiator is going to try and get the best possible deal for the owners". Is that twisting facts to the right?

[Thundering Buffalo]

The real trash is what we have to go through as fans when there are agenda's pursued that are not in the best interest of the game. IF Smith's intentions are focused on the game, and not himself, I wish him luck and all the support he deserves....but if this is yet another ploy to further his personal agenda then I hope he's exposed for it. Remember I wasn't the one who injected politics into this topic, it was PFT and the facts back up their statement and concerns.

[Thundering Buffalo]

BTW the owners and players ARE working for what's in the best interest of the game. All I'm trying to point out is that one key individual in the process may have an agenda that's in his best interest. If you are a fan and have no problem with Smith not negotiating in good faith you should have problems with that. Smith is the one with a possible political agenda not me.

[Mr. Pink]

BTW the owners and players ARE working for what's in the best interest of the game. All I'm trying to point out is that one key individual in the process may have an agenda that's in his best interest. If you are a fan and have no problem with Smith not negotiating in good faith you should have problems with that. Smith is the one with a possible political agenda not me.


His best interests would be pleasing the fans ie. American public.

If he can please them with how he handles the NFL labor negotiations that's likely not to be forgotten when it comes to his political career.

So where exactly is the problem? How is any of this an issue?

[NoVabillsfan89]

BTW the owners and players ARE working for what's in the best interest of the game. All I'm trying to point out is that one key individual in the process may have an agenda that's in his best interest. If you are a fan and have no problem with Smith not negotiating in good faith you should have problems with that. Smith is the one with a possible political agenda not me.

I think both the owners and the players are concerned with their OWN bests interests first and the mythical "best interests of the game" are a distant second.

Smith doesn't have a political agenda - he might have political aspirations. There is a difference.

And the only way he improves his standing and reputation would be to negotiate the best possible deal for the people who employ him.

[Beebe's Kid]

Wow...the gov't can completely eliminate the middle class, wage undeclared wars for billions of dollars chasing made up bad guys, tell lies upon lies, take your personal freedoms, but I'll be damned if they are going to **** with football!!!

Wow...how about a little perspective, but there are context clues all over your posts that perspective isn't your strong-suit. Don't worry, we spend a lot of money on the NFL...both parties are very likely to hash this out, because while they need our money to continue their lavish lifestyles, so the minions will get football.

[ParanoidAndroid]

Actions speak louder than words...don't choke on that hook

Let's focus on Mr. Smith.
DeMaurice Smith is, hard to believe, a hard core cheerleader for Team Obama. Specifically, Smith gave $3,300 to Barack Obama's presidential campaign between 2007 and 2008. according to the Federal Elections Commission. When he wasn't busy giving money to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic Party of Virginia, the re-election campaign of the District of Columbia's Democratic U.S. House non-voting delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Indiana's Democratic Senator Evan Bayh and, in the way back, the presidential campaign of Democrat Senator John Kerry.
That would be seven contributions total, all to liberal or left-wing Democrats.
You think there might be just the teensiest bit of conflict of interest in Mr. Smith's straight-faced insistence that he is all about dealing in unity, cheering, transcending, overcoming division and hatred?
What a laugh.
So what does Mr. Smith do in his real life when he isn't busy juggling the massive conflict of interest that is using the façade of football to zap one of the leading opponents of Mr. Obama, the man to whom Smith has channeled $3,300? Why…wait for it….Smith is a lobbyist on the payroll of the DC lobbying powerhouse Patton Boggs and Blow.
How do we know this? Because Patton, in the wonderfully condescending way that liberal Democrats have with the blacks on their short-leashed intellectual plantation, let the world know how proud they were not of Mr. Smith's legal and lobbying skills. No, they let the world know how proud they were that their House Black Lobbyist got an award

You sound like a typical right wing blogger.... (not saying one side does this more than the other, but your leanings are obvious)
This thread is based on speculation, outright guessing, and a little bit of making junk up out of thin air.... kind of like what Glen Beck does.
In the end, he represents the players and he does not control the decision 100% like some dictator.
Come on into the spin zone where you belong.

[tomz]

Wow...the gov't can completely eliminate the middle class, wage undeclared wars for billions of dollars chasing made up bad guys, tell lies upon lies, take your personal freedoms, but I'll be damned if they are going to **** with football!!!

Wow...how about a little perspective, but there are context clues all over your posts that perspective isn't your strong-suit. Don't worry, we spend a lot of money on the NFL...both parties are very likely to hash this out, because while they need our money to continue their lavish lifestyles, so the minions will get football.

Let's tone it down a bit on the political angle. Of course each side is going to put stuff out there during the process. And then claim victory and a share of the glory of giving us what we want. That is the way of the world now.

[Thundering Buffalo]

There are other forums more appropriate to debate political points of view, this is not the forum, which supports my point that IF Smith is using these negotiations to build clout for a political career then he needs to get the hell out of the way and let someone talk to the owners who is there for the right reasons. By the way Beebe Kid was it made up bad guys that flew into the Twin Towers and killed over 3000 Americans?

[Nighthawk]

He was on Moving the Chains yesterday on Sirius and addressed that rumor. He was pissed that people thought that. He guaranteed that he will keep this job until the players no longer want him. He said he has no political aspirations, and it's just B.S. Take that for what it's worth, but he was pissed about it.

I've heard this guy a few times in interviews and he is a media whore...there is no denying that. IMO, this guy is nothing buy bad news for the sport. We'll have to wait and see how it plays out.

[ParanoidAndroid]

There are other forums more appropriate to debate political points of view, this is not the forum, which supports my point that IF Smith is using these negotiations to build clout for a political career then he needs to get the hell out of the way and let someone talk to the owners who is there for the right reasons. By the way Beebe Kid was it made up bad guys that flew into the Twin Towers and killed over 3000 Americans?

Thank you for finally differentiating possibility from certainty with that nicely placed "if."

[trapezeus]

The fact is Owners hate that they pay players 60% of revenues.

The fact is owners are getting paid billions in tv contracts with or without football next year because the tv contract language pays them through a lockout.

So if you think smith has a lot of control in a lockout, regardless of politics, you are q bit obtuse.

The owners hold the cards in this. Smith has to get the players ready for a long fight or else they'll give up a lot.