A report came out today out of Sports Business Daily, saying that there's a group of at least seventy current NFL players, which are described as "mid tier", could break off from the current iteration of the players union and intervene in the current Brady vs. NFL antitrust case. The report states that the players feel they're not represented well and want a seat at the mediation table. These "mid tier" players likely have the most to lose here, as the term is referring to compensation, not ability on the football field.
It's something I've speculated on for awhile, as some of you know. I've been all over the board in my support (and am now wedged firmly in the middle), but even when i felt like I was a pro-NFLPA kind of person, the moves and negotiating tacts of DeMaurice Smith have made me scratch my head. I sincerely doubt it was unanimous, or even a big concern for many of the players, that the books be opened up to the extent that they were asking back when the players association filed for decertification. My best guess is that players saw how the NFL detailed their full offers post-decertification, and found a lot of the information to be knew to them.
The report states that at least seventy-five players would be needed before the law firm files, and I'd bet they can get that, if they really want to move forward with it. Remember, this move wouldn't be to shut down this case or go against the current regime of people who are supposed to be fighting for the players, this would be to get better representation on all fronts, while keeping the same overall goal of ending the work stoppage.
From a personal standpoint, I really hope they are successful, because I feel like these kinds of players have been left out, and this just confirms it for me. This doesn't appear like a pushy group of people who are greedily looking to get in on things, it looks like honest misrepresentation, at least from seeing some of the moves made by DeMaurice Smith and company.