Gene Upshaw, the NFL Players Association executive director, is apparently trying to save his job by getting some former players to rejoin the union. He has asked Trace Armstrong and Robert Smith to join him in a significant advisory capacity due to the unrest that has recently occurred among players over how Upshaw does his job.

This seems to be Upshaw’s attempt to get some job security, as reported by Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com: 

Upshaw's moves could create more controversy for the members of the union who want to accelerate a succession plan for Upshaw's eventual departure as its leader, according to player sources. One player noted that outgoing NFLPA president Troy Vincent, who is considered a future candidate for Upshaw's leadership position, was instrumental in removing Armstrong from the agent-disciplinary committee. Smith was adamant that he was never affected by Vincent's rule as president.  

Upshaw denied he is doing that, saying that anybody "who has carried the title of assistant executive director will tell you they never felt like they were the successor-in-waiting or a true No. 2. Under our constitution I have full authority to hire anybody I want in our building. And with what we're facing on the labor front, we don't need to send a signal to owners that they can get a backdoor deal with a No. 2 guy."  

Armstrong believes Upshaw wants to surround himself with some "old hands, guys that have been in the fights and have some insight … guys who may be able to explain to player reps how to handle their locker room, because if there is a looming owners' lockout, a strike, a de-certification, whatever, it will be useful because none of these players have ever truly been through it. And that kind of stuff does make players nervous."

Matt Stover, the player representative from the Baltimore Ravens, started all of this by sending an e-mail to the other representatives in the league asking for a committee to be formed that would find Upshaw’s replacement. 

Many players feel that Upshaw is trying to hand pick his successor as he promoted Clark Gaines to assistant executive director on Monday. 

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