Gene Upshaw, The %@# Damn Effervescent Diplomat

It's no wonder that the NFL Players' Union sucks. Their chief spokesman and negotiator, Gene Upshaw, is a babbling idiot.

Case One: Hall of Fame guard Joe DeLamielleure, one of the leading advocates of retired NFL players who are in need of financial assistance, and an outspoken critic of the the league's lack of care for retired players, recently had the joy of reading the following threat in the Philadelphia Daily News last week.

"A guy like DeLamielleure says the things he said about me; you think I'm going to invite him to dinner? No. I'm going to break his ... damn neck."

Nice to see you can resolve problems so amicably, Gene. Ever think of running for office? In Iran?

Case Two: In response to other criticism regarding his lack of attention to retired players, he offered this gem:

"The bottom line is I don't work for them. They don't hire me and they can't fire me. They can complain about me all day long. They can have their opinion. But the active players have the vote. That's who pays my salary."

That's swell, Gene. Thanks for being such a great listener.

Case Three: Mike Ditka criticizes Upshaw. Once again, over the provisions for retired players. He immediately started wielding his schlong:

"It was irresponsible and shows how dumb [Ditka] is. I didn't just come to this rodeo. I've been doing this since 1983. When did he start? Last year? I get upset when people say I turned our back on players. The NFL never turned its back on anybody."

"Look, I was in the Hall of Fame before Mike Ditka got there [in 1988]. (Upshaw was inducted in 1987) He just runs his mouth. He doesn't want to know the facts."

Lets' see here... You're more right becasue you were inducted a year before Ditka... OK, I get it. That makes perfect sense.

Bottom line, the NFL and the NFLPA are too big for horseshit like this. Upshaw needs to go. Every time Upshaw opens his pie hole with headline fodder, he discredits the union and the NFL owners smile.