Election Time In The NFLPA

The National Football League Players Association will be voting on their next Executive Director in beautiful Maui on March 13. Incumbent Executive Director DeMaurice Smith has been pretty much unchallenged since he was first elected unanimously by a board of active player representatives in 2009. He was re-elected unanimously in 2012. It won't be so easy this time. There are nine candidates on the ballot.

DeMaurice Smith, incumbent
Jim Acho, attorney
Art McAfee, attorney
Andrew Smith, attorney
John Stufflebeem, retired U.S. Navy Admiral
Rob London, agent?
Sean Gilbert, former player
Robert Griffith, former player
Jason Belser, NFLPA Senior Director of Player Services

Belser's candidacy caused some chaos late Thursday. The deadline for submission of an application with a minimum requirement of three nominations was midnight ET on Thursday. Belser was not on the official list of candidates released by NFLPA President Eric Winston shortly after midnight. The error was soon corrected, and Winston tweeted this:

Correction: Jason Belser is on the ballot. Unfortunate email oversight by me on a crazy last day. My apologies to Jason.

It's a little humorous that the candidate that had issues with his paperwork and candidacy is the one that is already in the NFLPA offices. He's an 11-year union employee. His candidacy is also a suggestion that Smith's support is wavering. So is the presence of such a large number of candidates on the ballot. Throughout the 1990s, an unprecedented run of labor peace, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and NFLPA Executive Director had a very warm and cozy relationship. The relationship between DeMaurice Smith and Roger Goodell is the complete opposite. The leader of the player's association will always be at some degree of odds with the person representing the owners. It's just the nature of the jobs. But, there's clearly something wrong with this Executive Director vs. Commissioner relationship. Something has to change and it's pretty clear that Goodell isn't, unfortunately, going anywhere.

The candidate that worries me is Rob London. He's described in multiple online articles as an agent but he doesn't appear to be an NFLPA-certified contract adviser. In 2013, there were reports linking him to Jay-Z's then-fledgling Roc Nation firm. That's about all that I need to know about him.

John Stufflebeem has the greatest name and is certainly the most unique candidate. A former Vice Admiral in the Navy, a fighter pilot in conflicts around the globe, helped detain Manuel Noriega in Panama, worked in the White House during Desert Storm, and was the chief Pentagon spokesman during post-9/11 military operations. He also has the incredible honor of having played football for Steve AND Bill Belichick. He was a punter at the Naval Academy in the 1970s while Steve Belichick was a coach there. In 1977, he was a preseason punter for the Detroit Lions while Bill Belichick was the special teams coach.

As a former Minnesota Vikings safety, Robert Griffith has my vote. He's actually very deserving of the player representative's vote as well. He already has six years experience as an Executive Member of the union which makes him one of the most seasoned candidates. He's been a part of the CBA negotiation process. He's been an active and successful businessman and philanthropist since his playing days. Plus, he played for the Minnesota Vikings.

It would be fun to see former defensive tackle Sean Gilbert confronting Goodell in tense CBA negotiations.

The union meetings kick off in beautiful Maui on March 13. This vote should be a fun one.