Ep. 99: Behind the Scenes of the NFL-NFLPA Battles, with De Smith, former NFLPA Executive Director,

Update: 2025-10-01

Description

On this episode, I’m joined by De Smith, the former longtime executive director of the NFLPA. De discusses his new book Turf Wars, his battles with Roger Goodell, the "petulant" NFL owners and their "diabolical general counsel," his perspective on the current NFLPA saga and the quest for guaranteed contracts, whether there might be any under the table deals with NFL players designed to circumvent the salary cap, and why a union might not be the best option for college football players.

Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .

Comments

In Channel

Ep. 103: Senator Richard Blumenthal on the Future of College Sports and the SAFE Act vs. the SCORE Act

2025-11-2128:58

Ep. 102: The Most Powerful Man in College Sports? Cody Campbell and his Plan to Save College Sports

2025-11-1447:37

Ep. 101: College Coaching Buyout Madness, with former Penn State QB and coach, Jay Paterno.

2025-10-3144:51

Ep. 100! Jon Gruden's Battle with the NFL & Roger Goodell, with Jon Gruden's Lawyer, Adam Hosmer-Henner, and ESPN Investigative Reporter, Don Van Natta

2025-10-0550:16

Ep. 99: Behind the Scenes of the NFL-NFLPA Battles, with De Smith, former NFLPA Executive Director,

2025-10-0101:01:45

Ep. 98: The Room Where it Happens for College Sports, with Julie Roe Lach

2025-09-2548:24

Ep. 97: The Case for College Athletes as Unionized Employees. With Jennifer Abruzzo, former NLRB General Counsel

2025-09-1650:56

Ep. 96: College Sports and the Looming Title IX Challenges, with Janet Judge

2025-09-0739:46

Ep. 95: Breaking Down the NFLPA Saga, with Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio

2025-08-1935:31

Ep. 94: An Inside Look at Buying and Selling Pro Sports Teams, Stadium Development, and Private Equity in Pro and College Sports, with Sports Business Lawyer Irwin Raij

2025-08-1355:49

Ep. 93: Federal Legislation for College Sports? Breaking down the SCORE Act with Congresswoman Lori Trahan.

2025-07-3132:40

Ep. 92: The Collision between Immigration Law and College Sports: Can International College Athletes be Paid in the New NIL Era? With Sports Immigration Lawyer Catherine Haight

2025-07-2542:36

Ep. 91: The Collision between Title IX and the New NIL Era in College Sports, with Arthur Bryant.

2025-07-1852:16

Ep. 90: The Future of Olympic Sports, with Dr. Jaime Gordon.

2025-07-0842:03

Ep. 89: The Final House vs. NCAA Podcast (for now) with...Grant House!

2025-07-0258:41

Ep. 88: Title IX in the New College Sports Landscape and an Appeal of the House Settlement. With John Clune, Partner at Hutchinson, Black and Cook.

2025-07-0230:55

Ep. 87: A New Era in College Sports, with Troy Dannen, Athletic Director at University of Nebraska

2025-07-0142:27

Ep. 86: Life After House-- What's Next for the NCAA? With the Lead Outside Counsel for the NCAA, Rakesh Kilaru

2025-06-0948:56

Ep. 85: The Fate of College Sports (and the House Settlement) with Steve Molo, Lead Counsel for 100+ Athlete Objectors

2025-05-2847:43

Ep. 84: The Latest on the Twists and Turns in the House v. NCAA Settlement with Co-Lead Counsel, Steve Berman

2025-05-1142:20

00:00

Ep. 99: Behind the Scenes of the NFL-NFLPA Battles, with De Smith, former NFLPA Executive Director,

#box-pro-ellipsis-176518457534618{-webkit-line-clamp:2;}Ep. 99: Behind the Scenes of the NFL-NFLPA Battles, with De Smith, former NFLPA Executive Director,

Ep. 99: Behind the Scenes of the NFL-NFLPA Battles, with De Smith, former NFLPA Executive Director,

Ep. 99: Behind the Scenes of the NFL-NFLPA Battles, with De Smith, former NFLPA Executive Director,