Giants v. Bucs…Where’s the Union?

At the conclusion of the Giants Buccaneers game yesterday there was a situation that begs the question “Where’s the Union?”.  The Giants were going to take a knee with 2 seconds remaining in the game, and by all accounts the Tampa Bay Head Coach instructs his players that no matter the circumstances they should play hard, and play to the end of the game.  I disagree with this philosophy for one reason, he is setting his players up to get injured somewhere down the road.

But the bigger question to me is where is the players union?  They sent a letter to the NFL and made a big show a few weeks back stating that the NFL regular officials need to be brought back for the safety of the players.  They talk about why practices should be shorter, while pads should only be worn on certain days in practice, and that the safety of the players is their sole responsibility and reason for their actions.

They support the players in their lawsuit against the NFL involving the Saints bounty program.  Where is De. Smith today?  Wouldn’t a statement saying it doesn’t want coaches putting their players at risk, no matter which team they play for, and that this action by coaches is at the heart of the safety issue.  That the players are still put into this situation after the bounty program was exposed, and the union says nothing speaks volumes to the hypocrisy of DeMaurice Smith and the players union.  Be consistent, stand up for the rights of your players, and then someone might start to take you seriously.