Brady's New Role

In Sunday's Boston Globe sports section ,there was a story about a new role that Tom Brady has taken on. He is now an alternative player representative for the Pats. This has big implications as he is now involved with the workings of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA). Each team has a representative and two alternatives.

Matt Light is the primary with Brady and Adalius Thomas as the two alternates. These positions serve as "union stewards" for the players concerning their rights as outlined in the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

The CBA expires after the 2011 season. Owners and the NFLPA must reach an agreement to avoid a lockout and disruption to the 2011 season. As it stand now, the 2010 season will have no salary cap. This could lead to the disparity that exists in baseball between the big market teams and the small ones.

The main contention is the amount of revenue to be split between the players and owners. Currently, the players get 60% of it. With new revenue streams being developed, the pot grows bigger. Owners feel that the players are getting too much. They also want to lengthen the season by eliminating at least one pre-season game. The issue of compensation is very tenuous.

Brady is placing himself at the negotiating table with the owners. He is one of the league's marque players and will certainly generate sound bites whenever he speaks on any labor related issues. He will also be facing off against the Kraft family, the team's owners. Brady has a special relationship with the Krafts. However, his contract expires after 2011 season and will command some of the top money given to any player.

The CBA negotiations have been going at a snail's pace. Eventually, something will happen. Everything might work out in the end or there could be a disruption to the 2011 season. It will be interesting to see where all of this takes Tom Brady. Will it influence his career outside of football once his playing days end? Is this the start of something bigger for him?