Gene Upshaw, head of NFL players' union died today-good/bad for League?

His willingness to accept a salary cap in order to get true free agency was a positive thing. However, his recent unwillingness to accept a rookie salary cap (so that players who do have not played a single down in the NFL don't take up a huge chunk of overall salary cap space) and his treatment of the retired players were a negative. Also, his unwillingness to allow anyone to be considered his second in command hurt the Union. His fear of a loss of personal power has left the Union in disarray today. No one knows who is in charge, who should be in charge or how to proceed. They even hinted as much on the NFLPA website today. He had a great impact on the League. My prayers are with his family. But, the Union must move forward in the best inerest of the Union and not in the best interest of Upshaw's legacy.

What was good about his long tenure was that it reflected the majority of the players who are, of course, African-Americans. I hope he is replaced by another African-American. He did a lot of good for the players as witnessed by their current salaries. Whether he did enough for former players is still a heated debate. Did he help the league? Well he didn't hurt it much considering it is the number one league in professional sports...yes, bigger than bowling! I think he did a good job in preventing strikes by working things through with the league offices. For the fans he was the face of the union and often appeared at odds with fan interest. It isn't in the best interest of the fans to see players moving from their teams to other teams because their team can't afford them, etc. He was an awesome player for the Raiders, he had the super bowl rings and the hall of fame bust to prove it. He will be greatly missed by those who knew him. As a Steeler fan, I always had great respect for him and his buddy Art Shell.