Gene Upshaw fattened the wallets of players, protecting their interests and maintaining harmony with the owners.
Gene Upshaw ticked off the older, retired players and protected his own job by preventing anyone viewed as a possible successor to be his assistant.
It’s the two sides of Upshaw, who died Wednesday night at age 63 from pancreatic cancer. He was a strong, controversial figure. Considering he lasted 25 years as the NFL Players Association executive director, enemies were expected.
“In any position, you have criticism, especially in this realm,” said Washington’s union representative James Thrash.
But Upshaw led the push for free agency and revenue sharing — players now get 60 percent of league revenue — both of which have made the players unbelievably wealthy.
“He was a tremendous athlete and leader,” said Redskins coach Jim Zorn, who played against Upshaw, a Hall of Fame guard with Oakland, in the 1970s and early ’80s. “The amount of history he was involved in changing the NFL was dramatic to say the least. He’ll be greatly missed.”
Retired players disliked Upshaw intensely, complaining about their pensions. Even active players were getting antsy; one former player rep said the 10-member executive committee was getting ready for a change.
“But you have to look at the body of work,” the former player said. “You can’t look at recent hiccups.”
» Richard Berthelsen, Upshaw’s top lawyer, will take over in the interim; a search committee will be formed; the 10-man executive committee will help whittle the list to two or three and those people will be presented to the union in March. Ex-Redskin Troy Vincent is a possibility; he clashed with Upshaw but is well-liked. Ex-NFLPA president Trace Armstrong is another strong candidate.
» The pressing issue centers on the collective bargaining agreement, but the owners already have decided to opt out, making it possible there will be no salary cap in 2010. Upshaw had said the cap would disappear if no deal is in place by March 2010. But there’s nothing to negotiate just yet; the owners must first decide what they want to do and that could take an awful long time.
