Labor Battle Looms on Horizon

PHOENIX, Jan. 31 -- The NFL could be headed for another labor confrontation in the fall, players' union chief Gene Upshaw said here Thursday.

The labor agreement between the franchise owners and the NFL Players Association allows either side to reopen the deal by Nov. 8 if it chooses. Upshaw said during his annual Super Bowl week news conference that he expects the owners to exercise the reopener clause.

"It's very clear to us in what we see in the tea leaves and owners beating their chests that they're going to terminate this deal in November. . . . I have prepared the players for the worst."

Several owners have said they believe the current labor deal, which guarantees the players 60 percent of league revenues, is too generous to the union. Upshaw said he will not offer the owners any givebacks in the next set of negotiations.

"The owners' attitude has been the players have too good of a deal . . . [but] I can't convince the players that they should take less so the owners can have more," Upshaw said. "I can't sell that. . . . We are not hockey players, and they are not hockey owners. The economics of this league are good and are getting better. . . . We're getting 60 percent of the revenues. When it's all said and done, we're not giving any of it back."

Upshaw said he will talk to players' representatives in March about the possibilities of a strike, lockout, decertification of the union or labor extension.

"I wish I had a crystal ball," Upshaw said. "But wherever it ends up, it'll be fair for the players."

Retired Players Fight On for Needs

Meantime, a year after a highly charged news conference about the plight of injured former NFL players launched an issue that lingered through the season, the Gridiron Greats met again Thursday during Super Bowl week.

They brought into the room a group of approximately 25 former stars, including Kellen Winslow, Carl Eller, Steve Largent, Gale Sayers and Jim Marshall, as well as former Redskin Charley Taylor and Cowboys Ed "Too Tall" Jones and Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson.

Jerry Kramer, the Gridiron Greats organizer, said he thinks NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has shown good faith in addressing the needs of retired players, which includes taking care of players in dire need, fixing a disability system they believe is too restrictive, and improving pensions for former players.

But Kramer questioned the commitment of Upshaw, who he said promised to help but so far hasn't done much, he said.

Several in the group continued to attack Upshaw for what they said was trying to divide current and former players by telling current players that any money for retired players must come from current players' funds.