In a Tuesday appearance on ESPN’s NFL Live, free-agent center Kevin Mawae once again reiterated his desire to continue to play pro football in the league that doesn’t begin with a “U”. And he once again reiterated his suspicion that, possibly, he’s being blackballed due to his role as president of the NFLPA.
Explaining to host Trey Wingo that that the 39-year-old lineman hasn’t received even one phone call, Mawae at one point mentioned the “C"-word (collusion). But he acknowledged that it would be impossible to prove any improper motivation.
Eventually, Mawae admitted that he believes his union activity is “part of the equation.” And he’s likely right. For any players, the decision to sign or not sign him results from a stew of factors. Mawae’s NFLPA presidency would fall into the “con” column.
The other reality is that, as Mawae and Mark Schlereth of ESPN pointed out, teams currently want to see what their young players can do. If/when they wet their pants and/or crap the bed, teams likely will strongly consider bringing in a veteran like Mawae.