The NFLPA just held a conference call with the national media, and while they lacked concrete news on issues such as HGH testing or what the salary cap will be for the coming year, the one thing that’s abundantly clear is the two sides still don’t trust each other any farther than they can throw each other.
NFLPA president Domonique Foxworth said on the topic of HGH testing that players were willing to “expose themselves to an imperfect test,” but balked at the lack of an appeal in the current NFL proposal.
In response, league spokesman Greg Aiello just tweeted “Not true+he knows it.”
The lack of trust was mentioned several times during nearly an hour-long call, specifically on the topic of HGH testing (which both sides agree to in theory, but can’t figure out how to implement).
Much of that lack of trust seems to stem directly from Commissioner Roger Goodell’s handling of the bounty case.
“If (players) don’t trust anyone on Park Avenue, it’s hard to get anything done,” Foxworth said. “If I wanted to get them to trust Roger, I couldn’t.”
Much of this is simply the saber-rattling that happens when labor unions and employers discuss things. NFLPA assistant executive director of external affairs George Atallah mentioned issues concerning equipment and training for youth football programs as examples of agreement between the sides.
But until the two sides can agree on something important at the adult level, it’s unclear if anything will ever be resolved.