NFL Agent Blasts NFLPA as the Worst in Sports: 'They Do Not Look Out for the Players'

While the NFL is a financially successful organization, some think the NFL Players Association does a disservice to its members.

Speaking to The Athletic's Ben Standig, an anonymous agent called the NFLPA the "worst" player union in sports.

"They do not look out for the players," the agent said. "The people at the top are not competent in their jobs. No comparison to some of the other leagues. Different stratosphere."

The union was subject to criticism, including from some of its members, during last year's negotiations with the NFL for a new collective bargaining agreement. 

Ken Belson of the New York Times reported that Russell Okung, then with the Carolina Panthers, filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board.

Okung accused the NFLPA and executive director DeMaurice Smith of negotiating the proposed deal in bad faith and forcing a vote on the CBA despite the objections of the executive committee.

Several star players, including Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers, said they voted no on the CBA. 

Rodgers wrote on Twitter about his concerns over adding a 17th game to the schedule and issues with the "workplace, the workload and the offseason program."

The players' vote passed by a margin of 1,019 to 959. While the CBA increases the players' share of league revenue from 47.0 to 48.5 percent, NBC Sports Philadelphia noted that amounts to roughly "a 3.1 percent revenue increase for a 6.3 increase in games played."

The NFL CBA runs through the 2030 season, ensuring nine years of labor peace. The last work stoppage the league had was the 2011 lockout that lasted four months.

The NFL hasn't had a season with games missed because of labor issues since the 1987 strike cut the schedule from 16 to 15 games.