Judging by the response of the NFLPA to the Ezekiel Elliot suspension, the relationship is poisonous.
Some may disagree but gridiron football is not a sustainable sport. Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL owners have been making bucketloads of profits while the players are withheld guaranteed contracts. The Colin Kaepernick situation demonstrates the preponderance of power the owners have. Then there's the looming crisis of retired player's health, the vast majority of them end up with CTE. For every Michael Strahan there are seven Mike Webster's. Roger Goodell has been obfuscating on this issue, the owners are more than happy to shirk their responsibilities. As matters stand the players have nothing to lose - even if a Tom Brady betrays them.
The head count is grim:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NFL_players_with_chronic_traumatic_encephalopathy
Some may disagree but gridiron football is not a sustainable sport. Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL owners have been making bucketloads of profits while the players are withheld guaranteed contracts. The Colin Kaepernick situation demonstrates the preponderance of power the owners have. Then there's the looming crisis of retired player's health, the vast majority of them end up with CTE. For every Michael Strahan there are seven Mike Webster's. Roger Goodell has been obfuscating on this issue, the owners are more than happy to shirk their responsibilities. As matters stand the players have nothing to lose - even if a Tom Brady betrays them.
The head count is grim:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NFL_players_with_chronic_traumatic_encephalopathy