Less than three months have passed since NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association, got together – socially far apart, 6 feet apart – after a rare joint public appearance, days before Super Bowl LV in Tampa.
The two men, the opponents of so many NFL labor issues over the past decade, smiled, laughed and celebrated the end of the 2020 season. Collaboration between the two parties has enabled the season to play and end according to schedule, despite the coronavirus pandemic.
The peace would not last. And now, as the NFL and NFLPA negotiate the structure of the off-season in 2021, navigating the post-COVID-19 world can be just as challenging.
On Tuesday, players from the