SPEC SHEET EMERGES FOR NFLPA JOB

Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal has gotten her mitts on a copy of the initial spec sheet prepared in conjunction with the search for a new NFLPA Executive Director.
The document lists 18 attributes and/or qualifications. (Item No. 8: “Be awesome.”)
Not among the desired qualities? A requirement that the new Executive Director have NFL playing experience.
But the person who gets the gig is expected to possess “all or most” of a list of characteristics, including a background in labor law and/or employment law, strong negotiating skills, and an advanced degree in a relevant area of study. (An undergraduate degree is mandatory.)
A preliminary list of candidates obtained by Sirius NFL Radio included only former players, and none with law degrees. Since then, non-players with extensive law/business experience have been mentioned as potential candidates, including David Cornwell, Condoleezza Rice, Michael Huyghue, and Ray Anderson.
One potentially ideal candidate would be Martin Mayhew of the Lions, a former player with a law degree and years of experience in team management.
Huyghue would be an intriguing candidate, given that he currently is the Commissioner of the fledgling UFL. Frankly, it’s not in the NFLPA’s best interests to do anything to undermine the UFL (such as pilfering its Commissioner), since having a viable alternative to NFL football could give the union increased leverage in the looming CBA talks.
We think it makes plenty of sense for the NFLPA not to insist that the Executive Director be a former NFL player. Such an approach would automatically disqualify plenty of qualified candidates who spent what would have been playing years gaining valuable education and/or experience that makes them better suited for the top job in the NFLPA.