Trotter's Take State Of Disunion

The search for a new executive director of the NFL Players Association to succeed the late Gene Upshaw is down to former union presidents Troy Vincent and Trace Armstrong , and D.C. attorney DeMaurice Smith. The only certainty regarding the final vote of the 32 player representatives in mid-March is that it will leave plenty of people unhappy.

Some in the union worry that Vincent will make wholesale changes; others fear the status quo from Armstrong, in part because he works for the same firm ( Creative Artists Agency) as agent Tom Condon , who represented Upshaw and is thought by some to wield too much influence within the union. Smith, a compromise candidate, is taking hits because he has no history with the union or the league. Whoever is ultimately selected could have a tougher time uniting the membership than he will negotiating with the owners on a new CBA.