The board of directors for the NFL Players Association conducted a vote on Friday night, during which they decided to retain DeMaurice Smith in his role as executive director.
During the evening, a conference call was held involving player reps from all 32 NFL teams. The vote was incredibly close, with 22 teams voting in favor of keeping Smith in his position. This meant that Smith narrowly achieved the two-thirds majority that was needed to avoid having to run against other candidates in an open election next March. Eight teams voted against Smith while three abstained.
After releasing the results of the vote, the NFLPA released the following statement: “He was transparent with us about his interest in moving on after this term and for the stability and security of our union, he will work with our player leadership to ensure we have a succession plan in place for the next leader.”
Before resuming his duties as executive director, Smith will have to negotiate the terms of his contract with the NFLPA.
Smith entered his role as executive director in March 2009. During his time in charge, he has successfully negotiated the last two collective bargaining agreements with the league.
