updated 6:53 p.m. ET July 3, 2008

The NFL Players Association's executive board has begun searching for a successor to 62-year-old executive director Gene Upshaw, against his wishes, the Washington Times reports.

Documents obtained by the newspaper indicate the board wants to interview 8-10 candidates by November 1 and to narrow that field to six finalists by January 1. Upshaw has been asked to find his own successor but has been slow to do so.

The board has proposed hiring consultant Philip Kuehl, father of long-snapper Ryan Kuehl, to manage the search process, including hiring a firm to identify candidates to succeed Upshaw, the Times reports.

Upshaw has been under fire over the past few years as retired players have felt neglected financially and in terms of health care. And Upshaw's $6.65 million compensation for the last fiscal year was believed to be excessive compared with similar positions in other sports.

More recently, Upshaw has been at odds with current players over the issue of rookie salaries. Veteran players seem to want restrictions on rookie salaries, though Upshaw has come out against any limits.

Earlier this year a group of NFLPA player representatives had urged Upshaw to name a successor and a political battle ensued. On June 18, a four-man subcommittee -- Mark Bruener (Houson Texans), Brian Dawkins (Philadelphia Eagles), Domonique Foxworth (Denver Broncos) and Tony Richardson (New York Jets) -- delivered the proposal to begin searching for Upshaw's successor.

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