The NFL Players Association is about to find out what it's like to go into high-stakes negotiations without Gene Upshaw.
Upshaw carried the union fight for 25 years as its strong-willed executive director, participating in collective bargaining negotiations as far back as 1977.
His death, from pancreatic cancer Wednesday, went shock waves through the NFL and left a leadership void in the union.
"The new guy will have to do what he can, but he can't be Gene Upshaw," said Stan White, a former Baltimore Colt and long-time union activist. "Gene's irreplaceable."
During Upshaw's stewardship, the league experienced a dramatic change in player salaries and benefits. He stared down rich owners, squelched budding mutinies and ushered in the age of free agency.
Upshaw also won the respect of the people he bargained against.
"He played a colossal role in the success the NFL enjoys today, even more than many people realize," New York Jets owner Robert Wood Johnson IV said.
Occasionally chastised for being too cozy with Paul Tagliabue, Upshaw nevertheless won unbridled free agency from the former commissioner in 1993 and scored another major victory in the 2006 CBA negotiations. The victory was so thorough that owners decided last May to terminate the agreement in 2011, two years early.
Pending successful negotiations on a new deal, the owners are risking a season of uncapped salaries in 2010.
Upshaw promised they would not go back to a salary cap if the players reached an uncapped season. In recent months, he withstood challenges both inside and outside the union.
Now, the union is forced to proceed without him.
The union's executive committee unanimously appointed general counsel Richard Berthelsen as acting executive director. He has worked with the union for the past 37 years.
Ravens kicker and player representative Matt Stover, who spent four of his 16 previous NFL seasons on the executive committee under Upshaw, said he wasn't interested in the post. He identified potential candidates as former union presidents Mike Kenn, Trace Armstrong and Troy Vincent, and current president Kevin Mawae.
Last April, Stover e-mailed player reps suggesting they prepare for a "change in leadership." He has declined to address the reasons behind the e-mail, and yesterday emphasized the players needing time to grieve.
