Mawae lands a Buster Douglas type punch
When Kevin Mawae was elected president of the NFLPA he was thought to be just another puppet of Gene Upshaw. That is far from the case as he landed a knockout punch to Upshaw.
In an interview on ESPN Radio’s Colin Cowherd show Mawae said this, “As a guy who has been in the league for 14 now going on 15 years and being around other veteran guys, for a young guy to get paid that kind of money and never steps foot on an NFL football field, it’s a little disheartening to think of. It makes it tough for a guy who’s proven himself to say ‘I want that kind of money’ when the owners, all they’re going to say is, ‘Well, you weren’t a first-round pick.’ ”
Talk about holy crap, but this one takes the cake. It should not be surprising Mawae stated before that he thought New York Jets head coach Eric Mangini got rid of him, because he knows the rules. If Mangini were to break one he would speakup about it to Mangini.
So, why now just speak out, and not months ago? It is just purely is the timing of it. The owners unanimously voted to opt out of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. Also, add in the current deal that Matt Ryan signed just for being the third overall draft pick.
There are two outcomes to this when it comes to Upshaw. First, he completely turns 180 degrees, and agrees to institute an National Basketball Association type of cap. Or, he can be a complete stubborn mule, and tell the current players no. If he does this then you can expect the players to pull a coup de tat, and replace him.
If the players knew what was best for him they throw him out now. In ESPN’s Jogn Clayton’s blog Upshaw responded to the owners financial stress, Why don’t they just take a pill?”
The only person that Upshaw cares for is me, myself, and I. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.com stated, “Mawae had better tread carefully, or Gene Upshaw will break his neck.”