Wow, that was just as sudden as Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones yesterday. I’m not even sure I knew that Upshaw had been diagnosed w/ pancreatic cancer, as that was just revealed on Sunday. Shocking.
Of course, Upshaw’s legacy will be mixed. The National Football League has to be the most lucrative sports federation of all time, and that has taken a careful collaboration between players, owners, TV, and etc. Of course, some would say Upshaw did not fight for the players’ rights with the necessary level of zeal, that he gave into owners. I know Bryant Gumbel would say so. And he came under criticism in recent years for not doing enough for retired and debilitated players. But I also think you can look at the how much player salaries have increased while he was head of the NFLPA and say his players did okay with him as union boss.
And it will seem really odd to have someone other than Gene Upshaw in front of the cameras in the next couple years when the next CBA is negotiated.
