Richard Sherman, the San Francisco 49ers cornerback and a vice-president of the NFL Players Association, is an angry man.
And it has nothing to do with the fact that on Sunday he’ll line-up with the Niners to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV.
The 31-year-old five-time Pro Bowler believes the NFL and team owners are putting a “price tag” on player safety in pushing for a 17-game regular season.
Plans to expand the fixture schedule have proved an obstacle in ongoing negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). It is set to replace the existing deal which expires at the end of next season.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is insisted player welfare continues to be a priority amid “incredibly productive dialogue” with the NFLPA.
Sherman led NFL in interceptions
But Sherman, who in 2013 helped Seattle Seahawks win the Super Bowl when he led the NFL in interceptions, disagrees. He believing the talks will drag on unless the league backs down.
“I don’t think it’s something the players are interested in, honestly,” he said this week. “If that’s the point they (the NFL) are negotiating on, I think these negotiations are going to go ON a lot longer than anticipated.
“It’s odd to me, and it’s always odd, when you hear player safety is their biggest concern. And they’re really standing up for player safety, player safety, player safety, but it seems like player safety has a price tag.
“Player safety up to the point of hey, 17 games makes us this much money so we really don’t care how safe they are, if you’re going to pay us this much money to play another game.
Players don’t put a price tag on their health
“That’s the part that’s really concerning for us as a union and us as players. They think that players have a price tag on their health but I don’t think we’re in the same ball park in that regard. Players have always been more aware of player safety and longevity and life after football.”
Sherman believes the NFL intends to use the extended season as a bridge to an even longer 18-game schedule that will force players to “risk their bodies” even more.
“That’s what’s so ridiculous about it, and nobody calls them out. Nobody calls out the hypocrisy,” he continued.
“I’m hoping that one day people will be brave enough to call out the hypocrisy of them saying hey, we really care about player safety, but hey, at the same time they want you to play extra games and put your body on the line and risk your career.”