No, they aren’t, because their job is to do more than look out for the rights of players who get mistreated by the NFL. It’s also to advance the overall well-being of the majority of players who never encounter a situation where the NFL would even consider punishing them too harshly.

Dude sounds so unhinged that you can’t really conclude when he says “die” that he means it in the same sense that Pat Robertson calls all the deaths caused by things like Hurricane Katrina “God’s judgment”.

No, I’m not that guy. Again, people want to keep comparing this to how the state should respond to a violation of a citizen’s rights. The NFLPA is not the state. They do not have unlimited resources.

But I would argue that spending $10M on legal fees—if that is even the real number—seems more prudent then jeopardizing every player in the league’s salary with a strike, which has been the only other mentioned alternative.

The point is that a fair disciplinary process (either in the NFL or society at large) doesn’t just protect those who are involved in the disciplinary process at any given moment in time. It protects everyone, regardless of guilt or innocence, until adjudicated.

Of course. But how often do players actually think for themselves, instead of just doing what the player rep says, when it comes to union votes? How many of them actually sit down and think “What do I want the union to do for me” before thinking about who to vote for and what to tell their player reps?

who looks like the result of a shameful one night stand between a Brooks Brothers suit and a copy of Atlas Shrugged

But again, the right to only have X number of mandatory (and, note, unpaid) workouts is a bargained right, and if the Pats are improperly punishing a player for late attendance at a non-mandatory workout, which is forbidden by the CBA, the union absolutely should pursue the grievance.

But the players have leverage. They are the central part of the production of revenue.

It undermines the portion of the CBA that pertains to how the NFL deals with players who fall under the disciplinary program. It does not undermine the entirety of the CBA. Goodell cannot parlay any acquiescence in the case of one player into ... lowering minimum salaries, for example.

You’re arguing against a point I am not making.

I am familiar with the concept of checks and balances on power. That is however, not the only mechanism to check and balance the power. It might not even be the most effective mechanism to check and balance the power of the league.

No, I didn’t avoid your point at all, I addressed your point directly, which is that the fact that Troy Vincent is an asshole doesn’t really matter, because the question still stands as to whether the NFLPA is doing it’s members, in the aggregate, much good by engaging in these fights or not.

No. If they stop challenging the league for overreaching or arbitrary punishments, then Goodell will know he can issue them with complete impunity, and things will get much worse for the players.

Oh my God. That is not comparable AT ALL to what I am saying. The NFLPA is not the state. They do not have unlimited resources. They must pick and choose their battles to ensure that they are using those resources most efficiently, and it’s entirely possible that spending this much money defending a few players is not…

I defy you to find me a player who is not a member of the NFLPA’s managment team who actually has the information necessary to evaluate whether or not Vincent is full of shit or not.

No it doesn’t. NFL players simply don’t have the career longevity and financial wherewhithal to do what would need to be done to overcome management. They are leery of striking for a full season because for some of them, even if it results in increases in minimum compensation and other benefits, missing that one year…

No, I mean “Decent return” by winning those cases in ways that will actually help the majority of their constituents. If your cases only benefit players who enter the disciplinary process, you are only helping a small portion of your constituents. Granted that can still be worthwhile, but is it worthwhile to the tune…

No, precedent does not benefit everybody. Precedent benefit the people who find thesmelves in situations that it will be applied to.

It’s about the fact that the union does not hold much power at all compared to the other major sports leagues, and the NFL is constantly trying to diminish it by taking power that should be negotiated for and acting as if it arbitrarily is in the NFL’s power to do so.