DeMaurice Smith Elected to Serve New Term as NFLPA Executive Director

DeMaurice Smith will remain in his position as the NFL Players Association's executive director.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported the NFLPA's board of representatives voted to retain him for another term. While eight members voted against Smith and two abstained, he received the minimum 22 votes to stay on board.

ESPN's Dan Graziano explained Smith will now need to negotiate a new contract with the NFLPA, which could be as little as one year because there is no specific required term length.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN shared a statement from the NFLPA that revealed Smith 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."

Josina Anderson of CBS Sports reported "there was some concern expressed by players reps tonight that there wasn't enough time to properly vet other candidates."

Graziano noted this vote from the 32 team player representatives was only required because the NFLPA's executive committee did not unanimously approve Smith during a Tuesday vote. Instead, the 14-member committee voted in a 7-7 split, which triggered the situation where he needed 22 of the 32 votes in Friday's proceedings.

Notable players such as Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, J.J. Watt and Richard Sherman expressed concern with the latest collective bargaining agreement that was ratified in March 2020.

Among the issues some had was the addition of a 17th game to the regular-season schedule.

Yet the CBA was ratified in a close vote and is now in place through 2030.