NFLPA close to potential open election for De Smith's executive director role

NFLPA Exec Dir DeMaurice Smith’s future will be in the hands of the union’s board of 32 player representatives as soon as Friday, after Smith failed to gain sufficient support for a new term in a preliminary vote. On Tuesday, a selection committee comprised of the 11-member NFLPA exec board and three other members deadlocked, 7-7, on whether to grant Smith another term without an open election, according to a source familiar with the vote. Under the union’s constitution, anything short of a unanimous vote in that stage requires a vote of the 32 player reps. If Smith does not win 2/3rds of the player rep votes, the position “shall be considered open” and there will be an open election. Smith’s term is set to expire in March.

The lack of unanimous support is not a surprise, considering the razor-thin margin of all NFLPA members that passed the '20 collective bargaining agreement Smith negotiated. A bare 51.5% majority, or 1,019 members, approved the contract, with tight votes also at the executive committee and the player rep level. Had Smith won fewer than six out of 14 votes on Tuesday, the position would have been deemed open without a vote of the play reps. A player rep meeting is set for Friday, but the vote could be delayed, a source said. The constitution calls for the matter to be “immediately” sent to the player reps, but that term is not defined.

Smith made about $3.2M in salary in the fiscal year ending March '20, according to Federal Department of Labor reports. He made $4.462M in the most recent fiscal year, but that was boosted by an isolated $1.752M payout from a deferred compensation fund. Efforts to reach an NFLPA spokesman were unsuccessful. Sportico first reported the preliminary vote results.