It’s still a few years away, but NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith is already predicting a strike in 2021.
“I think that the likelihood of either a strike or a lockout in 2021 is almost a virtual certainty,” Smith told The MMQB’s Albert Breer on Thursday.
Smith went on to explain his rationale, adding that “we have a new deal where if it doesn’t get fixed, you head into a certain ‘small a’ armageddon.”
You can watch the full interview here.
The NFL’s current collective bargaining agreement expires following the 2020 season. A standoff between the league and the players’ association during the negotiations led to a lockout in 2011, though the regular-season schedule was not affected as the two sides came to an agreement in July of that year.
It’s a topic Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman broached earlier this off-season in an interview with ESPN’s Jalen Rose.
“If we want as the NFL, as a union, to get anything done, players have to be willing to strike. That’s the thing that guys need to 100 per cent realize,” Sherman said last month.
“You’re going to have to miss games, you’re going to have to lose some money if you’re willing to make the point, because that’s how MLB and NBA got it done,” he explained. “They missed games, they struck, they flexed every bit of power they had, and it was awesome. It worked out for them.”
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