Posts tagged NFL
ACC union? Stanford players working to lay the groundwork for college sports’ next labor fight
July 29, 2026 // Jason Stahl, the founder of the College Football Players Association, has worked with Cooper and Anderson for more than a year after a former Stanford team employee connected them. The players spent time getting to know Stahl and evaluating his intentions before deciding he was the right person to bring to the team. Stahl has worked to organize players at multiple schools over the years, often quietly. In 2021, he was secretly brought into Penn State's team facility to speak with a group of Nittany Lions before a team employee accidentally walked in, exposing the meeting. Days later, ahead of that year's Big Ten Media Days, an independent news outlet incorrectly reported that Penn State players were unionizing.
No good news on MLB labor front: ‘Hope has all but evaporated’
July 18, 2026 // Some sort of labor stoppage appears all but certain as negotiations between MLB and the MLB Players Association have been anything but productive, according to numerous reports. ESPN insider Jeff Passan was the latest bearer of bad news Friday when he reported the sides were “far apart” in their positions despite initial hope in finding common ground.
MLB, players’ union meet to begin labor talks, sources say
May 14, 2026 // MLB intends to pursue a salary cap system, a financial structure that players staunchly oppose. The current deal, which came after a 99-day lockout by the league that threatened the beginning of the 2022 season, expires Dec. 1. If there is no agreement by the time the deal lapses, MLB is expected to again lock out the players, causing a work stoppage that could jeopardize games in the 2027 season. During the opening presentations, sources said, the sides outlined their views on the game, noting challenges they see and opportunities to use labor negotiations as a tool to move it forward.
Football Union Evidently Colluded With NFL
October 17, 2025 // One plausible, though yet to be proven explanation is that, even as he was ruling over the NFLPA, Mr. Howell was also working as a “paid, part-time consultant for the Carlyle Group, one of a select group of league-approved private equity firms now seeking minority ownership in NFL franchises,” as Mr. Van Natta and Ms. Kahler reported in a July 10 followup story for ESPN. “Enhancing the profitability of NFL teams by tamping down the compensation of football players arguably advanced the interests of the Carlyle Group,” explained Mr. Mourad. “That could be why Mr. Howell seemingly sided with NFL executives and against the players he purportedly represented.”
NFLPA Investigating Own Role in OneTeam Amid Corruption Allegations
January 22, 2025 // The letter asks the recipients to save all documents related to OneTeam and lists two NFLPA executives for contact: assistant general counsel Heather McGee and general counsel Tom DePaso. A source said the NFLPA also hired Linklaters partner Richard Smith for the investigation. Smith has handled several high-profile investigations for the football union, including allegations brought by Colin Kaepernick; the Ray Rice domestic violence episode; the Miami Dolphins’ bullying investigation; and the New Orleans Saints’ “Bountygate” scandal. Smith did not reply for comment. The NFLPA, MLBPA, and RedBird Capital created OneTeam in 2019 to represent athletes and their lucrative group licensing deals. In 2022 RedBird sold its stake to a group of equity investors, including HPS Investment Partners and Atlantic Park, in a deal that valued OneTeam at $1.9 billion.
PLAYERS’ ASSOCIATIONS WARN SPORTS ILLUSTRATED ON UNION BUSTING
March 7, 2024 // The AFL-CIO Sports Council, which launched in 2022 to assist athletes in unionizing, released the statement Monday. The warning doesn’t mention any specific consequence that could arise. However, players in those leagues could refuse to conduct interviews with SI writers and podcasters, decline to attend SI parties and otherwise boycott creation of SI content. For the storied publication, which for decades influenced the sports industry like no other, a loss of access to players and their unions would make reporting more difficult, and it would both diminish and delegitimize the SI brand.
Local unions worried about Bills stadium work going to out-of-town contractors, workers
February 23, 2023 // Supporters of the use of precast concrete panels say they help speed up construction, reduce site disruption and can trim project costs since they require fewer workers to install. Erie County and state officials have said they expect up to 10,000 people put to work on stadium construction. The precast concrete panels, placed by cranes, are likely being used as a result of a national labor shortage because they do not require the use of as many trades people, Williamson said. But with the help of apprentices, there would be enough local workers to complete hand-laid brick on the stadium's exterior, he added. “To try to design a building and build a schedule around what they think is a labor shortage is not right and missing the whole point of having local labor doing the work,” he said.