Now, THIS is a powerful message (Wallace Matthews Column today)

Another angry columnist who hasn't taken the time to understand the issue about which he's writing. The NFL, not the union, is the only party in a position to help these long-retired players. Labor unions have a fiduciary responsibility to bargain only for their current members. That said, the NFL should try to figure out how to help these former players. The NFLPA, because it has been an historically weak union, was never in position to bargain strong retirement benefits while these guys were active.

 

I really don't see why Newsday thought its readers needed this column after having already read Shaun Powell's piece a day earlier:

http://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/ny-sppow305072807jan30,0,666977.column?coll=ny-sports-columnists

Here's what, in my opinion, makes Powell such a great columnist. He spun a tale about John Mackey and put it into a larger context without:

A.) Expressing contrived moral outrage

B.) Treating his readers like retards by having that all-important paragraph stating the obvious: Hey, folks, by the way, this is a bad thing.

C.) Assuming the role of expert on society's shortcomings

D.) Expressing naive shock that these conditions exist, which would make him seem even dumber than the aforementioned retarded readers

E.) Injecting himself into the column

Now this is how Powell, a black man, concisely handled the topic of the two black coaches a week earlier:

Oh, yeah: Both are black, which, surely by now, you've heard.

Plenty of folks already are sick of the racial implications here, but those people didn't grow up black in the 1950s. Nor are those people trying to get coaching jobs in the NFL as black men.

Venture into any urban barber shop in this country and there's only one topic du jour, just as it was in 1988 with Doug Williams. This is a big deal to a race of people weary of seeing white men hold all the influential jobs in this country. To everyone else, it's a tired topic they wish would go away.

And as soon as we see more black general managers and coaches and team presidents, it will.

 

I ran that story. It just spoke to me when I came across it.

 

shaun powell, as i've noted before, is perhaps the most underrated columnist in the country. wally's column was piling on, but he does one of these "nfl-is-the-devil-i'm-going-to-expose" deals every super bowl. that way, he doesn't have to write about the teams or the game.

my question: wouldn't everyone, including himself, been better served if wally had sunk his teeth into the tank johnson issue? newsday just did a story on tank, when wally could've hammered the league he loves to hammer while also addressing something game-related.

oh, maybe that's for tomorrow....

 

Honestly, no. Nothing he could have attacked on Wednesday of Super Bowl week would have served anyone better than this.

 

All collective bargaining is set up this way. A member could conceivably sue his union (and win) if it is determined that a union was splitting its allegiance between its members and another group such as retirees.

 

The "NFL is the Devil " angle has been around forever. It never seems to get legs. As Shockey said you get a once a year column and everyone nods in agreement then nothing.

If not a columnist then some former disgruntled player does a book co written by a columnist. Out of Their League comes to mind by Dave Meggesy .

 

Agree with Frank and shockey. I've often said Powell is one of most underappreciated columnists around, and Frank did a good job of articulating a lot of the reasons. He writes smart, interesting columns, time after time.

 

Well, yes, it does have to be set up this way. Its a protection (well-understood in labor/human resource circles) that ensures union members that there's no conflict of interest in the union's dealings on their behalf.

Well, yes, it does have to be set up this way. It's a protection (well-understood in labor and human resource circles) that ensures union members that there's no conflict of interest in the union's dealings on their behalf.