On Friday, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith took a subtle jab at the NFL Coaches Association and executive director David Cornwell for remaining silent in the wake of a proof-in-the-pudding 0-for-15 failure by NFL teams to hire a single minority coach or G.M. in the latest hiring cycle.
“I am certainly interested in hearing from the Coaches Association on their thoughts,” Smith said Friday. “I would have expected something from them by now.”
Cornwell opted not to be subtle.
“DeMaurice Smith is the best thing that has happened to NFL owners since they became NFL owners,” Cornwell said in a statement provided to PFT.
“De controlled both the NFLPA and the NFL Coaches Association from 2009 to 2012. During this period, De threw 3 generations of NFL players under the bus in exchange for a photo op with Roger Goodell and Robert Kraft; threw the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys under the bus to conceal from NFL players the truth about the declining salary cap; and, De threw NFL coaches under the bus when he: (1) sat silently as NFL teams unilaterally changed coaches’ retirement benefits; (2) filed an unauthorized legal brief under the NFLCA’s name during the NFL lockout; (3) kicked the NFLCA out of the NFLPA’s offices for challenging the filing of the brief, and he rolled the bus over NFL coaches when he snatched $308,000 in coaches’ dues money and sued the NFLCA because NFL coaches understandably want competent representation.
“I intend to address all of the issues that confront all NFL coaches and clean up the mess that De left behind. While I do, perhaps De will answer these questions: When you controlled the NFLCA, did you fight for uniform retirement and health benefits that will follow NFL coaches from team-to-team? Why does the salary cap continue to decline while League revenues and team values continue to increase? If you stand by the CBA that you negotiated, why do you shift money from other player benefits to the salary cap to create the illusion that the salary cap is flat or slightly rising?”
We await more from Cornwell regarding the minority hiring issue. And we await more from Smith regarding Cornwell and/or the questions he has raised.