This might be perfect timing for DeMaurice Smith to promote a book reflecting on his personal journey and tenure as executive director of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA).
Lloyd Howell, the man elected in 2023 to replace Smith, resigned last month in shame. JC Tretter, the former center and union president who gained powerful influence in recent years, stepped down, too, from his role as chief strategy officer.
And with so many questions linked to a lack of transparency, particularly involving the election process and information from arbitration rulings not shared with the membership, the players union is mired in a big mess as David White begins as interim executive director.
Smith’s book, "Turf Wars: The Fight for the Soul of America’s Game" (Random House, 368 pages, $32), was released on Aug. 5 as quite the coincidence. Leadership is a key theme.
“In no small way, we saw that play out over the last two months, in an unfortunate way,” Smith told USA TODAY Sports. “My hope is that the players learn from it and spend time with what I’d call ‘ruthless introspection’ of how did they get here? And with the hope they turn it around. But it has to start and end with the players. It has much less to do with who their leader is.”
